The Potions Appreciation Club
by Dante Alighieri1308
Summary: What's a pair of bored Slytherin potion prodigies to do when Hogwarts is threatened for like... the thousandth time? Why, start their own drug... sorry... "potions" business at Hogwarts! All with the help of some well connected Hufflepuffs. OCs in the timeline of the main Potter story, started in Year 3 and now in Year 4. "Be Gay Do Crime" Story.
1. The Hatched Plot

_**I obviously do not own Harry Potter or any part of the Wizarding World. All credit to JK Rowling. Any characters or locations or plot lines not featured in JK Rowling's work belong to me. The image used for the story cover came from " kitchenghosts" Instagram account.**_

* * *

**The Potions Appreciation Club**

**By Dante Alighieri1308**

**Chapter I: The Hatched Plot**

"I have bad news, Vaughn. You're going to become sick."

Vaughn Rzhevsky didn't even bother to look up from his Arithmancy book, _Numerology and Grammatica_. This was now the fourth time his best friend and fellow Third Year Slytherin, Giuliana Cumano, had predicted some horrid future for him. At least this time, "sickness" seemed more manageable then the other omens Giuliana had given him.

"With what? Plague? Dragon Pox? I'd even take Spattergroit if it means getting out of this Arithmancy exam. Pretty sure only Granger is going to pass this one."

Giuliana shook her head, adjusting her glasses as she tried desperately to decipher the tea leaves in front of her. Behind Giuliana, a merman swam by, offering a haughty wave to some awe struck first-year Slytherins who, three months into the term, were still mystified by the view into the Great Lake that the Slytherin common room offered. No one begrudged them for it. Nailed into the black marble wall next to the windows was an old chalk board, marking the number of days since the Giant Squid had been spotted. It was updated diligently by all Slytherins, and dates and times in which the leviathan was spotted were accurately kept. As of now, it had been four days since it had been spotted. The chalk board was the only "cheap" furnishing in the Slytherin common room, with every piece of furniture and detail proudly displaying the wealth and class Slytherin associated with, along with the Slytherin colors of green and silver.

"The leaves don't say what disease you're going to get, just that you'll get sick." Giuliana elaborated, now flipping through her new Divination book, _Unfogging the Future_.

"See, that's the issue with Divination. At best, it only offers ideas or mumbo jumbo on what the future holds." Vaughn explained, setting down his Arithmancy book to smile smugly at Giuliana. "Arithmancy is about numbers. It's about accuracy. It's about coming to the logical conclusion of what the future holds for someone."

Giuliana merely rolled her eyes. "I will say it again, the idea that the number seven is important to me because my name starts with 'G' and that translates to the number seven is bloody ridiculous."

"It is not ridiculous! It's Arithmancy and it's not just that seven is important to you. It's seven in combination with other numbers."

"Oh? Such as?"

Vaughn sat the common's rooms leather chair silent, mouth agape, before responding. "I-I don't know that yet."

Now it was Giuliana's turn to offer a smug smile. "Shocker. Here, give me your hand. I want to practice my palm reading to see if I can figure out what kind of illness you'll get."

Like the dutiful best friend, Vaughn handed over his palm. He already knew that Giuliana wanted the left hand. This wasn't Giuliana's first run at Palmistry on Vaughn, and apparently since he was left handed, that was better for palm reading. Although, being left handed supposedly meant something sinister too. To Vaughn, Divination was all nonsense and, as his father and mother had told him, the profession of charlatans.

While Giuliana detailed the lines on his hand, Vaughn looked around the common room. It was relatively empty that night, with only the First Years at the window, a lone Sixth Year studying in the corner, Vaughn and Giuliana, and Draco Malfoy with his flock. As usual, the platinum haired menace was in front of the hearth while his "friends" sat on the leather couches and chairs near him. They were enraptured by Draco's two favorite sermons, his annoyance with Headmaster Dumbledore and hatred of Harry Potter. The topics were neatly intertwined tonight, thanks to the lockdown Hogwarts had to recently endure.

"Are you able to 'see' if Malfoy is going to get hurt anytime soon?" Vaughn asked Giuliana, his eyes still locked on Draco's sneering face. He had apparently just said something funny as Pansy Parkinson and Vincent Crabbe started to crack up, their laughter reverberating across the common room's stone ceiling. In the corner, the Sixth Year shot them such a dark glare that it could rival a Basilisk's.

"Sadly, no. Haven't picked up that skill yet. Oddly, though, Draco is one of the few students Professor Trelawney hasn't said will die by the end of their time in Hogwarts."

"Well, with Trelawney, there's a pretty solid chance she'll be wrong and we'll get lucky." Vaughn replied. Since he had met Draco, Vaughn had not cared for him. However, his parents, aunts and uncles, and even his ancient great-grand parents had instructed him to be nice to the Malfoy boy. It was frustrating considering the Malfoys had a habit of looking down upon the Rzhevsky, upset with their Eastern European customs and mannerisms.

It was also well known that the Malfoys perpetuated the rumors that Vampirism ran rampant in the Rzhevsky family due to a supposed connection to Vlad the Impaler. All of it followed some supposed dalliance an ancestor of Vaughn's had with a muggle noblewoman in Eastern Europe. As far as family rumors went, it wasn't as terrible a rumor as squibs in the family, but the British Wizarding World was far more skittish about vampires then a lot of the rest of the world and the rumors had a negative effect. To balance that out though, it helped that the Rvhevsky were viewed more favorably as Purebloods then the Malfoys as none of their lot had gone along with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, unlike certain platinum haired toads.

It wasn't a deep hatred for Draco though, just a constant annoyance with his behavior. Vaughn did agree to an extent with Draco and his rants. In particular, those relating to Dumbledore. The man's bias against Slytherin was shameful, and Vaughn – as with many Slytherins who were around that year – had never forgiven the supposedly neutral Headmaster for taking the House Cup away from Slytherin in Vaughn's First Year. The Seventh Years, livid over having the House Cup stolen from them in their last year, had even debated organizing a Curse to place on the Headmaster.

Vaughn's thoughts on the subject of Draco's other favorite rant, Harry Potter, were rather ambivalent. While it was well known that Potter didn't care much for Slytherins, it wasn't as though he was outwardly hostile towards them. His red-haired friend, whichever Weasley it was, was far more of a nuisance. Vaughn had never had a conversation with Potter, but he seemed decent enough. It was annoying how he seemed to suck up all the air in the room though, but Vaughn had to admit, being a Parseltongue would be extraordinary. Who didn't want to talk to snakes?

"I wish they would stop talking about that night." Giuliana complained, apparently haven given up on trying to read Vaughn's palms. "I'd rather not think about that stuff or the Dementors flying about outside."

Vaughn shrugged, too distracted to return to his Arithmancy. "Sirius Black is roaming the halls of Hogwarts. Harry Potter in danger, again! How can people _not_ talk about it."

"Harry Potter." Giuliana spat out, looking cross. "Did you see him getting escorted down the hall yesterday? Apparently, that's something that all teachers are doing now. Of course, none of them are offering it to any other student though, are they? We're all expendable of course, but let's make sure that _Potter_ and his gang are protected just fine."

Giuliana's views on Potter were decidedly not ambivalent. Vaughn had never been able to figure out what exactly Giuliana didn't like about Harry Potter, but at one point she had even been angry that he had glasses like her, or something like that. Giuliana's glasses were off now and she was cleaning them with her robes, a tic of hers when she was angry or flustered or anything similar to those emotions. For a while, Vaughn was worried she disliked Potter due to one of her distant family members being arrested for being a Death Eater, but Giuliana was one of those Purebloods who didn't care much about blood status.

"Well, if they are doing that, it's ridiculous. But I'm sure Dumbledore ordered it." Vaughn replied, closing his Arithmancy book.

"Are you done with studying?" Giuliana asked, the anger mostly flushed from her face.

"No, I'm moving onto potions. A subject that makes a-hundred percent sense." Vaughn said, trading his Arithmancy book for his copy of _Magical Drafts and Potions_. Vaughn had always felt at home with potions. Everything was neatly ordered and arranged. There were no surprises when you did things right. His favorite uncle used to teach him how to brew potions at his winter dacha. Because of that, Vaughn had come into his First Year a prodigy at potions. He had even gotten an approving snort from Professor Snape when Vaughn presented his Forgetfulness Potion for his final.

Of course, he wasn't nearly as good as Granger, a constant sore spot as he thought about how a girl with no magical upbringing could excel so much at potions.

"Oh, I can't even think about Potions now. I'm still behind thanks to Black's break in."

"I could help if you needed some." Vaughn offered. Not that Giuliana needed it. She was also proficient in potions, almost at Vaughn's level.

"No, I'll be fine. I really ought do it on my own. And if not, I can always do Potions with Lisa. Go back to Arithmancy."

"I'm getting tired of failing to predict the future." Vaughn said, already opening up his potions book.

"Well, you have to study!" Giuliana insisted. "The exam is in three days. Maybe you could study with Theodore Young?"

At the mention of Hufflepuff's name, Vaughn's heart fluttered. Thankfully, Giuliana didn't seem to notice the flush on Vaughn's face. Vaughn himself wasn't quite sure why his heart grew warm like it did when he thought of "Teddy", but it made him happy. He had never had those feelings for a girl before.

"Maybe. I'm sure he's busy. He's pretty popular." Vaughn muttered.

"Yeah but he seems to like you. He even likes me! I'm sure you two could study together. It would beat having to study with Granger."

"She's a bit uppity and loudmouthed, but not wrong about Divination."

"She's such an annoyance though! Always ready to start a row with Professor Trelawney just because she isn't good at Divination." Giuliana complained. "Maybe if she focused on just one branch of seeing the future, Arithmancy or Divination instead of both, she might be better!"

"Well, Giuliana, it's not like she's wrong-"

"Oh don't start-"

"-Divination is a silly topic!"

The argument progressed in a joking manner, as it had many times before that. They would argue over the style and "art" of seeing the future, if it was even possible, and if so, what was the preferred method. Vaughn would argue the ridged and clearly defined Arithmancy was superior, while Giuliana would argue that the undefined and mystical Divination was the golden standard. It had been an argument they had when deciding their two electives for Third Year. In the end, they both agreed on Care for Magical Creatures, so they could still have an elective together.

The two of them were thick as thieves and had been since their Sorting. They had both never quite fit in with their fellow First Year Slytherin's. They were both Pureblood like many Slytherins, but their non-British families had always left a space between them and other Purebloods, who proudly and loudly declared legitimacy from long dead British witches and wizards.

"Well, I can't study now." Giuliana jokingly complained. "Thanks for distracting me, like always."

"I try my best." Vaughn laughed, his mind still on Theodore. "Though, you know…"

Giuliana looked at him quizzically, "Know what?"

"If we wanted to be able to focus better, we could also just-"

"Don't!" Giuliana hissed, furiously looking about the common room. Malfoy's gang was still lost in their own conversation, and the Sixth Year and First Years had left. Only a pair of Mermen were looking at them through the window, but they couldn't understand English. At least, every Slytherin with a secret _hoped _they couldn't. Quickly, Giuliana leaned over to Vaughn, grabbing him by the arm to drag him in closer. "We shouldn't speak about it here."

"Nobody will know what we're talking about. Remember? We can use the codes I came up with." Vaughn replied, failing to wrestle his arm out of Giuliana's talon like grasp.

"And I told you that was stupid. All we need to discuss is that we are _not_ doing that again."

"You had fun though!" Vaughn said, egging her on. Giuliana opened her mouth to refute it, only to shut it quickly. She did have fun. She had said as much while they snuck through the halls of Hogwarts, careful to avoid any candle light that might give them away to a ghost, or worse, a professor. They had moved as quietly as they could, carrying their supplies and cauldrons, looking for a suitable room to set up in.

"I did. But we should still avoid doing it. We got lucky once, but we'll for sure get caught again." Giuliana said, though Vaughn could already tell she was wavering.

"I doubt it. Like you said, unless you're with Potter, the school doesn't care. Dumbledore certainly doesn't care at all about us Slytherins. And we can go back to that laboratory! It was set up perfect for everything we need."

"Where did that room come from though?" Giuliana asked, loosening her grip on Vaughn. "I went back to where I thought it was and the room wasn't there!"

"You must have gone to the wrong place. Room aren't like the staircases, they don't move. I'll bring us to the right location and get the supplies we need."

"How?"

"Same way as last time. We just sneak off during Care of Magical Creatures and pick up what we need from the Forest or Hagrid's… err… I guess you'd call it a garden?"

It really had been that simple. Hagrid was not the most observant professor and kept his focus on Harry and the Gryffindors for most of it. Either on them or whatever beast was out of control for that day. It was easy for two thirteen-year-old Slytherin students to slip away for a bit to pick up some necessary roots or ingredients for a potion or two.

"That potion would be really helpful." Giuliana considered, letting her guard down.

"And if we followed the formula I tinkered with, it's quite simple." Vaughn said, glad to have Giuliana now on board again. It really was easy. Vaughn had copied some of his Uncle's note regarding a concentration potion. The ingredients had been rather easy to come by, but the effect hadn't been nearly as strong. Next was the simple matter of distilling and enhancing the potion with some equipment and before long, Vaughn and Giuliana had produced a potent concentration potion that allowed them to focus on work for hours.

Giuliana had now released her grasp on Vaughn and leaned back into her leather chair, pondering her next words. "I still think it's a big risk. We could lose more than just House Points. We could be expelled!"

"For what? Brewing potions? Or did you see our expulsion in your tea leaves too?" Vaughn quipped.

"Bloody hell, Vaughn, be serious. Should we do this?"

Now it was Vaughn's turn to lean in. "Giuliana. We are not doing anything wrong. We're just using the skills we learned. I promise, there absolutely no way we will get caught."

In response, Giuliana offered a smile and quick remark. "Did your numbers tell you that?"

"Maybe." Vaughn replied, smiling now too. "Come on, let's have some fun. We'll get the ingredients tomorrow during class and sneak off during the night. That potions lab we found will be more than enough to get us up and going for another batch of our concentration potion!"

"We honestly must find another name for this potion if we're going to keep making it." Juliana laughed.

"So, you're in?"

With a flair of the dramatic, Giuliana let out a heavy sigh, continuing to smile as she did so. "Yes. Yes, I'm in. Let's make some potions."

With their plan hatched, both students attempted to go back to studying, though their minds wandered as they thought of their adventure the next night, completely forgetting about the Azkaban escapee and the Dementors on the loose.

* * *

**_This story was started on a bit of a whim and is based on an issue I have with the Wizarding World, an issue I've seen other fans and Fanfiction authors comment on. The Wizarding World has a fairly laissez-faire attitude towards many serious topics. It's understandable. When you have the power to teleport across the globe, change the way people look, and live decades longer then non-magical people, consequences seem more like a minor inconvenience. The issues covered in this story will deal with the Hogwarts curriculum, mainly the fact that Hogwarts students are taught basically how to make drugs and have easy access to the ingredients to make it happen._**

**_I don't have much of an end goal with this story. We're starting off in Year 3 of canon and plan to follow Vaughn, Giuliana, and the others that will join them for as long as I can. For those curious, Vaughn and Giuliana are based on unnamed Slytherin students that I found on the wiki._**

**_As an FYI, while the main canon characters (Harry, Ron, Hermione, Draco, etc.) will make appearances, the main characters of this story won't be influencing major canon events. They will certainly be influenced by major canon events though as all Hogwarts students were, and they'll have plenty of thoughts about them as we go on._**

**_Also, I apologize in advance for the fact that the dialogue isn't really "British." I am American, and will work harder on making it more appealing to the British Dialect._**


	2. Potions After Dark

**Chapter II: Potions After Dark**

Vaughn had been right. It was easy enough to sneak away during Care of Magical Creatures. Professor Hagrid had them raising Flobberworms, a dull and uninteresting task for even the Muggle-born who had no experience with any magical creature. Their pale, sinewy appearance was just offsetting to look at. The only useful thing they could be used for was thicken potions.

Regardless, Vaughn and Giuliana had dutifully fed their Flobberworms and then snuck away as Professor Hagrid attended to some Gryffindor girls who were disgusted by the worms. Both of them had giggled the whole time they ran away, feeling quite brave and adventurous as they left Hagrid's Hut and made their way to the shoreline of the Great Lake where two of their key ingredients lay.

Now, well into the evening, Giuliana waited outside of the Library for Vaughn to join her. It was quiet that October night, a cool breeze blew through the hallway where she waited. A few older students passed by, leaving or exiting the library, and a pair of ghosts hung out in the corner. Beyond that, no one was in sight. Underneath the bench she sat on and disguised by her robes was her own cauldron and her share of the acquired ingredients. Sure, the room her and Vaughn had worked in had its own cauldrons, but Giuliana preferred to brew with her own items.

Though why she was even brewing with Vaughn was a question she didn't have an answer for. She wasn't passionate about potions. Sure, she enjoyed it as much as any Slytherin would, but Potions Master wasn't a title she saw for herself after graduating Hogwarts. And while she didn't believe what she was doing was "wrong," there was no doubt the two of them would get in trouble for doing this.

No, Giuliana was good at potions, but it certainly was not her passion. She'd never tell Vaughn – she was too afraid of his judgment – but Giuliana was passionate about Divination. She would have been passionate about Arithmancy if she was any good at math, but any subject that brushed against or dealt with the Divine was of interest to her.

It was a girlhood fantasy that the soon to be fourteen-year-old thought she was mature enough to outgrow. But over the years, her passion had waxed instead of waned. Her family, the Cumano's, was an ancient magical one, claiming descent from powerful witches and wizards from the days of the Roman Republic. The most prominent of those members were said to be Augurs, working with the Pontifex Maximus of Rome, the Vestal Virgins, and even a few Emperors to predict the future.

_'Our ancestors would decide the fate of nations, of empires, of millions!'_ her great-aunt, her favorite of her bizarre and large family tree, would crone to her. Even at a young age, Giuliana knew her great-aunt was the odd ball of the family, odder then her great-uncle who dressed in shades of pink and orange, claiming to have befriended and tamed a herd of Graphorns while in the Alps. _'We would look to the skies, study the flights of birds and see the future, mi Tesoro. Caesars would grow silent, and would not act until _we_ had spoken_."

That era was considered one of the heights of the Cumano family. But following Rome's downfall, the Cumano family had retreated. Some went east to the Byzantine Empire, but in the days of Christianity, there was little need for soothsayers when they could believe in an almighty God. Those that stayed in Italy either latched onto some Muggles eager for power or retreated to their enchanted villas, hidden from the world and prying Muggle eyes.

The stories had stuck with her. Perhaps one day, Giuliana hoped, she too could see the future, to restore the Cumano name as soothsayers. Maybe she'd even get a prophecy orb or two stored in the Ministry's Department of Mysteries.

But there was no way she'd achieve that at this rate. She wasn't willing to admit it out loud yet, but Professor Trelawny was without a doubt a fraud. Giuliana wasn't a hard believer in strict discipline but people at least needed _some_ discipline. Trelawny had none. Just an old witch in her tower, living off of whatever Dumbledore paid. The only two that Trelawney seemed to like were Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown, Gryffindors. A shocker. It felt like the whole faculty bowed to the "lions."

An echo of shoes against the hall floors distracted Giuliana and finally, _finally_, Vaughn appeared, lugging with him his cauldron, notes, and his half of the ingredients. Under the bright torchlit halls, Giuliana could see that his face was red with excitement, a small on his face. "Are you ready?" he asked, adjusting the strap of the ingredient bag on his shoulder. Vaughn was a scrawny boy, still at the beginning stages of puberty at barely a meter and a half. The cauldron seemed to be almost as big as him as Vaughn insisted on using the larger size cauldron instead of the easily portable one. Vaughn wanted to make as much of the potion as possible.

"What took you so long?" Giuliana hissed, standing up and attempting to hide her own cauldron in her robes.

"What? I'm on time!" Vaughn protested, the smile still on his face. His usually well gelled and combed blonde hair had just a few strands out of place, no doubt from running.

"No, you're not. I've been waiting out here for ages and anybody could have caught me!" Giuliana complained, giving up trying to hide the cauldron. It was no use. If someone asked, she'd just have to say she was studying potions late. Or, something else more plausible.

"No one would have seen you." Vaughn replied, rolling his eyes before looking around the deserted hallway.

"Yes, they would have!"

"Would not."

"Would so!"

"Well, I'm here now then. Let's go!" Vaughn whispered back already on the move. "We have to finish these before curfew."

Giuliana's anger dissipated as she followed behind him, her giddy excitement returning. She was still nervous that the door wouldn't be there as it had been the previous time she checked for it, but perhaps Vaughn had been right. Maybe she had gone down a wrong hallway?

As they moved though, Giuliana realized they were going the same path she had gone. Past a courtyard, up four flights of moving staircases – where one student barely managed to keep his balance when the staircase moved on him – and down two more hallways on the 7th floor and they were there.

"Told you!" Giuliana said, triumph etched into her face. "It's not here!"

"No, no, no, we went the exact way we took before. This door was here before!" Vaughn protested. "It's here! I remember that troll ballet tapestry being right in front of it!"

He ran up the hallway, looking desperately for the door while Giuliana watched. She felt a bit smug considering Vaughn had insulted her memory. But only a bit. Vaughn whooshed past her again, running down the opposite direction of the hallway still looking for the door. Giuliana wished he found it. She _had_ been quite excited to brew that evening.

Vaughn returned now, walking slowly with his head down. He was panting softly, still clutching his cauldron, holding it tightly against his chest. He was defeated and Giuliana, feeling saddened by her reaction earlier, attempted to comfort. "Vaughn, it's ok. The room is still out there, we just have to keep searching. Maybe it's in the next hallway over?"

Vaughn passed her by, walking in front of the wall where the door was supposed to be for a third time. "It was supposed to be here! We wanted that lab!" Vaughn exclaimed, attempting to keep his voice under control. An unnecessary precaution. It was a Wednesday night and they were on the 7th floor. Not even the ghosts would be up here. "We were so close."

Giuliana stepped closer, placing a hand on Vaughn's shoulder. They were best friends, though not the kind who hugged or were overly personal. The touch on the shoulder meant a lot and Vaughn returned the gesture my placing his hand on Giuliana's.

"Let's keep searching." Giuliana said, "We'll find it."

Vaughn gave a slight nod. Releasing his grip slightly on his cauldron. Both turned, only to be stunned by a door.

Not just any door. _The_ door. The door that had the laboratory. It was the door without a doubt. The same exact one, ornately covered in bars and metal leaves, with runes carved lightly into them. The door wasn't particularly large, if Giuliana was on Vaughn's shoulders they could easily surpass the top of it, but the design made it imposing.

"W-what…" Giuliana could only mutter.

"It's there! Bloody hell… it's the door!" Vaughn laughed, the excitement rushing into his face again. "I knew it! I knew it!"

"But how?!" Giuliana said. She was overjoyed, but there was something else nagging her. Magical doors always existed in stories, but she had never seen or heard of any in real life. Even her family's stories were devoid of these doors, and some of those stories Giuliana knew were exaggerations.

"I don't know. But maybe it's like a code!" Vaughn said, the gears turning quickly behind his eyes. "Perhaps something we said, or did! Did you do anything?"

"No? I mean, I got excited that I was right, even though I'm clearly not, and then I watched you walk around, and then I put my hand on your shoulder."

"Yes, but what did we say? It has to be some sort of password!"

Both of them stood there, running through their dialogue as best as they could remember. Nothing in particular seemed to stand out. That left only actions.

"You walked in front of the door. Three times!" Giuliana deduced, thinking carefully. "That must have triggered it! Remember the first time we were just walking around, trying to find a quiet place or closet or something to brew the potion!"

"You're right! Bloody hell, you're right!" Vaughn laughed, smiling from ear to ear. "We walked past this tapestry at least three times, if not more! That has to be it!"

Their celebration was short lived as panic consumed them, worried the door might disappear again. They quickly entered the room, marveling to find the room in the exact condition they first found it: spacious and a marble fan vaulted ceiling high above them with marble columns descended downward missing their bottom halves, which dangled a meter or so above the ground. The room seemed endless, though perhaps that was a trick caused by the mirrors around them. Everything was well lit by chandeliers, each one looking to be from a different era and carefully maintained.

In the center of the room was their potion set. Three tables with pristine cauldrons, glass and crystal phials, and an assortment of other materials that neither Slytherin had touched before. In the center of these tables were several burners, lit by magic. Behind the tables were shelves of materials that both students recognized from Mr. Mulpepper's Apothecary in Diagon Alley.

"It's fantastic." Vaughn muttered, like a child on Boxing Day. Giuliana had to agree. Both of them put down their cauldrons and ingredients and began organizing everything out how they liked, feeling like true professionals.

"Let's get started." Vaughn said, already prepping his materials. Giuliana nodded, starting preparations with her own materials.

The potion required four ingredients: two Leaping Toadstools, two frog brains, powdered dragon claw, and a fourth ingredient. The leaping toadstools had to be cut so that only the red and white spotted cap remained. The task at first seemed difficult as the Toadstools stem had two feet attached to it and would attempt to jump around. It had also made gathering them along the edge of the Forbidden Forest difficult, until both of them realized a simple stun charm was enough to catch them. It worked equally as well now.

The next ingredient was easier to manage, albeit grosser. Acquiring the frogs was challenging and neither were thrilled at the idea of killing the creatures. Luckily, there were quite a few dead frogs along the shoreline of the Great Lake they could "scavenge" from and place in jars. For the potion, the frog brains had to be squeeze into the cauldron and then brought to a simmer. Once that was reached, the remaining brain was diced and combined with the toadstool caps into cauldron. A pungent odor had to whiff up from the cauldron before the next step could be reached.

Despite what its name implied, Powdered Dragon Claw wasn't exactly rare. It couldn't be found on the grounds around Hogwarts, but instead could be ordered rather easily from Diagon Alley. With their powders in hand, Vaughn and Giuliana splashed it into the cauldron, a puff of red smoke erupting as the powder hit the toadstool caps and frog brain juice and bits. The powder was disintegrating the clumps of brain and toadstool caps, turning it into a heavy sludge. Quick wand work was needed to stabilize the creation, along with an adjustment of the burner temperature. It was work, but both were prepared for it. Within a few minutes, the mixture was stable and pleasant smelling, a light reddish color that bubbled softly.

The final ingredient was a risk that paid off. The logical conclusion that Vaughn and Giuliana had come to was that Runespoor Eggs would increase mental acuity. However, Runespoor and their eggs were not common and would without a doubt set off bells for people. So, after much debate, the two had come to a consensus. They would use the ground down center of a purple flower found around the school, proven to increase the power of the mind. With a mortar and pestle, the two ground down the stem and root of the flower, allowing it to come to a boil in a separate pot while stirring clockwise in the main cauldron. When the ingredients have been refined down, the remnants of the flowers were poured into the main cauldron and stirred.

The whole process took about forty minutes and the finished result produced a turquoise colored simmering liquid that sloshed easily against the sides of the cauldron when stirred. Unlike last time, Vaughn and Giuliana had picked more than enough ingredients and were able to collect eight phials. The remaining ingredients they agreed to store in jars on the empty shelves behind the tables. Just to see if the ingredients remained.

"Do you want to try it?" Vaughn asked, excitement in his voice.

"When we're back in the Slytherin dorms, don't you think?" Giuliana responded. "That way we actually have our homework with us. Also, it's getting rather late. People may come looking for us."

Neither of them actually thought that, but who knows. The House prefects or Professor Snape might be doing the rounds for some reason that night. Quickly, both students tucked the phials into their robes, cleaned their cauldrons as best as they could, and gathered their supplies for the trek back to the dungeons.

The walk back was easy and they had no issues. No one out at that hour recognized or would have any reason to talk to the two Third Year Slytherin students. Some of the haughtier portraits cooed at them, asking where on the seventh floor the two of them were coming from. One of them even asked if either of them had any respect for themselves for being out at that late hour. Giuliana felt herself blush at the implication.

By the time they reached the Slytherin Common Room, both were exhausted but still buzzing with excitement. Both knew they smelled of potion brewing, but hoped no one would comment on it. Without another word, both returned to their dorm rooms to try out their potions. Hopefully, they would both be as productive as they had been the first time they used the potion.

Like the other three Houses, Slytherin's dorms were divided by gender and by year. Giuliana wasn't friends with any of the other girls in her years – not for a lack of trying on her part – but she had never had any issues with them in terms of sleeping arrangements. Each of them had a neatly designed canopy bed, with semi-transparent green curtains draped around it. The posts and frame of the beds were silver, with the two silver snakes hugging the front posts of each. The bed itself was soft, enchantingly so, and the curtains could grow darker with a flick of a wrist for extra privacy. Additionally, the canopy top of a bed could be enchanted to show whatever scene the sleeper wanted. For Giuliana, that meant creating a starry night scene, with constellations and shooting stars hanging over head as she slept.

Grabbing her books, parchment, an hourglass set for three hours, and quill and ink, Giuliana hopped onto her bed and closed the canopy curtains around her. As she placed her ink bottle and hourglass on the bedframe, she flicked her wrist and the curtains darkened. Giuliana followed up with a _Lumos_ charm to provide additional light.

Now, it was time.

Pulling out one phial of the potion from the robes, Giuliana eyed it curiously. It looked the same as the last batch her and Vaughn had made. It smelled the same too. And while she had complete confidence in her work, it was still a bit nerve wrecking to try a potion she had made without any supervision.

The mixture looked enchanting though as it swirled slowly in the phial. _'Oh, just do it, Giuliana_.' She told herself. With a quick motion, to prevent any more second guessing, Giuliana unscrewed the top of the phial and downed its contents. She then adjusted her glasses and flipped the hourglass to begin her timing.

The work started slowly but then began to speed by. It was amazing how easy it was to read through her books, even her _History of Magic_ book. She felt as if she was even writing faster then she normally did. An excitement brewed inside of her, she was doing it!

"GIULIANA!"

Her heart rate spiked and her focus left her. As she looked up, she saw that the hourglass top was nearly empty. How had time moved so fast? Someone was pulling on her curtain, unwilling to violate the rule the girls had established about opening another girl's canopy curtains without their permission. Giuliana's head was spinning though, and the light from the _Lumos_ charm seemed like it was from a _Lumos_ _Maxima_ charm instead. The girl calling her name on the other side of the curtain didn't help either. Slowly, to keep her headache under control, Giuliana split her curtains apart to see the angry faces of Millicent Bulstrode and Pansy Parkinson on the other side.

"There you are! We've been calling your name for at least five minutes!" Millicent shouted.

Giuliana cringed at her loud tone, her words reverberating inside her skull. She doubted it had been five minutes. Millicent was prone to dramatics. "Sorry, I was really focused on my work." She replied, cancelling out her _Lumos_ charm.

"Well are you done? That light was bothering all of us. It's after midnight!" Pansy asked, looking quite cross.

"Y-yes. Yes I'm done." Giuliana responded, not realizing it was that late. The hourglass hadn't lied, she had been working for three hours. She looked around her bed to find tons of inked parchment around her. She expected the notes to be a flurry of confusing thoughts, like her mind at that moment, but all of her writing looked neat and legible. A miracle.

"Why are you working so late?" Millicent asked, probably more so to bug her rather than out of genuine curiosity. Millicent was like that.

"Just wanted to get some work done early." Giuliana said, realizing that some of her parchment notes from her readings were for classes that would take place this week, the next, and some for the week after that. _'I did more than I thought I would!'_ Giuliana thought, feeling a lot of pride in herself.

"Oh yeah? Big plans coming up?" Millicent teased, a toothy smile on her bullish face. Behind her, Pansy giggled.

"Something like that." Giuliana lied, refusing to be intimidated. "Do you need anything else?"

Millicent grunted and left to head back to her bed, too tired to mess further with her. Pansy followed, as she was prone to do. Giuliana got out of bed and organized her materials in her bag and cupboard before changing out of her rooms and into a night gown for bed. The process took longer than it should have due to the headache, and Giuliana now remembered this side effect. It should dissipate in half an hour.

As she lay in bed under the covers, the headache began to decrease and her memory began to return. She could remember all the information she had just studied. It was more material then she could have gone through in three hours, but it was all there now, coming back at a drip pace at first and then a steady stream.

The history and proper technique of the Cheering Charm.

The complete history of the Flobberworm.

The correct phases of the moons of Jupiter.

The formulas for potions class, including the Shrinking Solution.

Even the history of the Witch hunts suddenly seemed so clear!

Finally, the headache had vanished and the knowledge had settled in her brain. Giuliana relaxed in her bed, wrapping herself up in a cocoon of Slytherin green sheets. She could focus entirely on studying for her exams now, unburdened by the busy work Professors always seemed to assign.

And even better, she still had three more phials.

* * *

**_The potion and its ingredients are semi-canon. When I started this story I did not realize that there actually was a Mental Acuity Potion, though it's called something else on the Harry Potter wiki. It exists in the _Harry Potter: Wizards Unite_ mobile game, which I have not played (more of a _Pokemon Go_ kind of guy), and a form of it is mentioned very briefly in the books._**

**_Besides the Leaping Toadstool and Frog Brain, the recipe calls for Runespoor Eggs and Powdered Dragon Claw. Runespoor eggs are just too rare to imagine Third Year students having access to them, thus the change in the recipe that gives the potion its blue color. I'm assuming that Powdered Dragon Claw is common since it is included in _Tolipan Blemish Blitzer_... an acne prevention cream..._**

**_Next chapter: a new friend is introduced_**


	3. The Caged Thespian

**_To those who celebrate, hope everyone had a good Christmas!_**

* * *

**Chapter III: The "Caged" Thespian**

The first week of November brought with it the first signs of winter. Due to this, many students took the opportunity to enjoy the relative comfort of the outdoors before the chill of winter set in.

Vaughn and Giuliana were among those students, sitting on some rocks near the edge of the Great Lake. Both of them had brought out some personal items; for Giuliana, her pleasure reading and Vaughn his diary. The potions they had brewed had helped them finish loads of homework for the future, allowing them to focus on relaxing. Giuliana had taken the time to check out a bunch of pleasure reading from the library, while Vaughn jotted down new ideas in his diary. He was currently trying to figure out how to shorten the length of the migraine that followed consumption of the potion. It would also help to shorten the effect period of the potion, but that was for an idea he wasn't quite ready to share with Giuliana. On another page were different names he was thinking of naming the potion, though none seemed promising.

Around them, students were gathered in groups. Houses didn't seem to matter to most of them, as Vaughn observed Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws and Slytherins coexisting peacefully. Some Gryffindors intermingled, but as usual, they tended to stay amongst their own pride. Either that or taunting other students, as the infamous Weasley twins were known to do. Vaughn had learned early on to stay away from them and whatever "joke" they had concocted that week. Vaughn had heard that the Weasley family lived in a giant shoe, but wasn't sure of the veracity of that claim. It had come from Draco after all.

Down by the Great Lake's was the largest gathering of students, a mix of students from all Years and Houses, though the center of attention was on the Seventh Years. Surrounding them, their audience was shouting and cheering for the main event.

_SQUID BAIT!_

_SQUID BAIT!_

_SQUID BAIT!_

Squid Bait. An annual tradition at Hogwarts. Vaughn thought it a silly one, but that's how many traditions were he supposed. It began as a dare to see who was brave enough to stay in the Great Lake the longest with the Giant Squid lurking about, supposedly a horror of the deep. Unfortunately for the creator's intentions, the Giant Squid was very friendly and seemed concerned for the students. Instead of dragging them down to their watery doom, the Giant Squid used its tentacles to place students back on land. The game had then morphed into the annual tradition of Seventh Years rushing into the water the first week of November.

A remnant of the original game remained however. If the Squid grabbed a student and lifted them back to shore, that student was declared "Squid Lord" and given a faux gold crown with a squid on it, turning them into a bit of a celebrity at Hogwarts. The last Squid Lord had been crowned five years ago and many in Hogwarts were eagerly awaiting a new one.

While technically Fifth and Sixth Years were allowed to participate, the Seventh years typically gave them a hard time and if any of them did join they tended to be separate from the group. This was the Seventh Years show, a rite of passage before graduation for many of the students. Last one remaining in the water "won." As they prepared to enter the lake, Vaughn watched as the male students stripped off their shirts, laughing and playing along with the crowd's jeers.

Vaughn couldn't keep his eyes off the older boys, though he tried hard to not look suspicious. His eyes were drawn particularly to a Seventh Year Gryffindor with blonde hair and nice abs. Vaughn did his best to keep his eyes downwards as he tried to understand how to distil Toadstools and Frog Brains better and why he felt the way he felt while looking at the half nude Seventh Years boys.

Before long, the older students had charged into the water, forty or so in total. Two of them immediately left the freezing water, a pair of Ravenclaws, as the crowd cheered or cried out in disappointment depending on their House loyalty.

Vaughn was distracted again by a voice calling out for them. Looking in front of him, Vaughn saw his friend – really Giuliana's friend if he was being honest – rushing towards them. Giuliana gasped in excitement when she saw her and slid down the rock. "Lisa!" Giuliana shouted, rushing over to meet and hug her. Vaughn offered her a wave as they walked back to him.

"Hey Lisa." Vaughn offered, not bothering to get down off his rock. Lisa didn't seem to mind, instead climbing up the rocks gracefully to join him as Giuliana retook her position.

Lisa Turpin. Half-Blood and Third Year Ravenclaw. Giuliana and him had met her second year in class and had begun to bond. This year, they shared Charms, Astronomy, and Herbology with the Ravenclaws and Lisa had a habit of sitting next to them so she could talk to Giuliana and occasionally Vaughn. She was nice, though the two of them weren't close. Vaughn did know that her wizard father had a decent job in the Department of Magical Transportation's Portkey Office while her Muggle mother was a stage actress. Vaughn hadn't been certain of what that meant, and when he asked his father, he learned that it carried certain "negative connotations." When he told Giuliana about this, she had been livid.

_'That is not true at all! Absolute rubbish! And it's not like your father is always an authentic source! Remember when he told us he had diadem of Zorya the Evening Star in your family vault at Gringotts? Rubbish!'_

But perhaps the most noteworthy feature on Lisa was the modified pixie dust she placed on her black and blue robes. The dust on her robe's arms and chest sparkled soft colors in the light, and Lisa liked to claim they changed to reflect her mood. Originally, Lisa had the dust placed on her shoulder, but some older Gryffindor girls had mocked her and said she had pixie dandruff. Unlike ordinary students who might be deterred, Lisa simply switched the dust's location. Vaughn admired that courage.

"Well, I just came from _the_ most, absolute, _complete_ nightmare of a faculty meeting!" Lisa exclaimed, throwing down her school bag and plopping down on a rock in front of Giuliana and Vaughn.

_'Flair for the dramatics, as always._' Vaughn thought.

"Oh no! What happened?" Giuliana asked, feeding into the Lisa show.

"Well, as you know, I have been trying to get this drama club off the ground completely by myself!" Lisa said, working herself up into a frenzy. Her arms had a habit of flailing when she spoke, causing the dust to glisten every direction. "And of course, I wanted everything to be above board. So, obviously, the first thing I thought I should do was to go and speak with Professor Flitwick! But _of course_, I suddenly couldn't get a meeting with him!"

"Obviously a conspiracy afoot." Vaughn muttered.

"Why is that?!" Giuliana said, swatting Vaughn's leg while Lisa looked away.

"Well, he says," Lisa began, voice soaked with suspicion. "It's because he had to meet with Sixth Year students who were upset with their O.W.L. scores, but that sounds like rubbish! He's the Head of Ravenclaw and he's always told us we can come to him whenever. And he doesn't even grade the O.W.L. exams! But now, suddenly, the one time, the _one time_, I need something from him and suddenly he's nowhere to be seen! Nowhere to be heard from!"

_'You see him in Charms class.'_ Vaughn thought. _'Why not just talk to him after?'_

"So, I got upset, naturally, and did what I always do when I get upset. Sing a portion of my favorite song, _Stairway to Heaven _by the exquisite, extra-ordinary band, _Led Zeppelin_."

Vaughn and Giuliana sat there puzzled by what she had just said. They exchanged a look of '_probably a Muggle thing'_ and returned attention to Lisa, only to be horrified to find that she had begun to sing said ballad. And quite loudly. The students down by the lake looked up at them curiously, murmuring with smiles among themselves while the two Slytherins could only smile awkwardly back and wait until Lisa finished.

Finally, it ended and Lisa took a deep breath, eyes closed, and silent for a moment. Then she continued. "So, with that in mind, I made another appointment, scheduled for today."

"Well, that's fantastic." Giuliana offered, recovering a bit from the impromptu song.

"Well I thought so too! Until I got there and listened to Professor Flitwick go on and on and on about how we couldn't pull a drama department together! He said there weren't enough students! He said there wasn't enough interest to get a department together! He said there wasn't the funds for the department! Well, if this school can pay out the rump for Quidditch and buying the Slytherin team Nimbus 2001s then why can't it spend a single sterling on theater?!"

Again, Vaughn and Giuliana were silent. How did Lisa not know that Draco Malfoy's father had paid for the Nimbus'? Draco had been _quite_ loud about that fact. And what in bloody hell was a sterling?

"Ah well. I shant expect anything less! Mum always said that school never gives money to the arts. The people who run it are too stodgy and uncultured!" Lisa shouted, turning her eyes to the heavens, arms raised up. The pixie dust on her robes was emitting a soft red hew. "Is this how I begin my great stage career?! Stymied at every turn by stodgy Heads of Houses and a school with a horrendous song like _Hoggy Warty Hogwarts_!?"

Both Slytherins chuckled at that. It really was a bad song. "Well, that sounds horrible, Lisa." Giuliana comforted. "So, Flitwick didn't like anything you said?"

"Oh no, he actually quite liked the choir idea." Lisa huffed. "But that wasn't _my_ idea, just something he came up with. Said it was an idea he's had for a long time, whatever that means."

"Well there you go!" Giuliana encouraged, looking excited at the idea of a school choir. "Maybe you could join if he gets it up and running. You could be the star there!"

"I mean… obviously." Lisa replied, smiling at the thought. "Mum got her start in her secondary school's choir. I could as well. And Professor Flitwick did seem very taken with the idea. So, I guess I'll organize that club! Naturally, both of you will have to join of course!"

"I would love too!" Giuliana exclaimed. Vaughn remained silent. He had never sung for a crowd, but he doubted he'd do it well. A pang of jealously erupted as he imagined the two girls having fun without him.

"Well what about your drama club? You weren't asking for a department, just a club." Vaughn said. "That should take care of the funding issue."

"You need a professor to oversee things. Professor Flitwick could have done it, but I'm sure he'll be more committed to the choir idea. I mean, who else could I ask? Professor McGonagall? Professor _Snape_?! The man is so drab I could only put on tragedies and even then, he'd still hate them!"

"You could always do it secretly. Or just say it's not a club but have people come join. There's plenty of free rooms in the castle you could use." Vaughn proposed.

"Secretly? Like you two and your potion brewing?" Lisa asked, a knowing look on her face now. Vaughn felt his jaw tighten and he spun his head towards Giuliana. She looked back sheepishly.

"I might have mentioned something to her." Giuliana admitted.

"Oh, I think it's brilliant!" Lisa complimented, placing a hand on Vaughn's arm as she leaned in, her lips inches from his ear. "And your potion is brilliant too." She whispered.

"You gave her the potion?!" Vaughn hissed at Giuliana.

"We weren't using it. And I still have two more, you have three! _And_ she won't tell anyone, will she?" Giuliana asked.

"Absolutely not!" Lisa assured, pulling away from Vaughn. "A performer should never give away her secrets. I'm just glad it helped so much with the work. I got so much done that I can focus on getting the choir up and running. So many flyers to make, so many people to invite! And the auditions! What a nightmare that'll be! Oh, and I can focus on making a drama club for you too, Vaughn. I would love to do _Macbeth_. It has witches and magic in it, betrayal, tragedy, emotions! Everything for a good play."

"That sounds marvelous! I loved reading it." Giuliana remarked, bringing up the gift Lisa had just given her for her fourteenth birthday. She really had loved it, in particular the three witches who taunted Macbeth with predictions of the future. It had hurt that Vaughn's own book gift, _Magical Beast and Beings of North America_, had been less well received. Giuliana had commented on her desire to visit America often enough, but apparently not enough to want to read a book about it. She had been nice about it and gave all the proper remarks, which caused Vaughn to laugh and lie, saying it was a cover until her real gift came. What followed was an expertly carved stand for a crystal ball, which Giuliana had loved as much as _Macbeth_. Hopefully his parents didn't keep tabs on how little monthly allowance he had left.

"I'm so glad! You could play one of the witches if you want too!" Lisa said. "Only problem is that a lot of the parts go to boys. Such is the way of Shakespeare. But, I could easily change some of the boy parts to girl parts. It's not as though any witch or wizard would know!" She laughed at that and then rose from the rock. "I'm off to begin plans for the choir club! And then afterwards, to continue my quest for to bring some culture to this school! Oh, I should make sure Professor Flitwick actually wants to do the choir. _Adieu_!"

Like a fairy out of a story, Lisa skipped away, her robes flashing colors of pink and white. "She is so bizarre. I love her." Giuliana commented. "So much energy, and she never seems to calm down."

"We could make her a Calming Draught." Vaughn proposed.

Giuliana looked at him, eyes narrowed. "We won't learn how to make that until next year. Besides, I think that Lisa's personality shouldn't be tamed. She has a lot of good ideas!"

"And a lot of batty ones." Vaughn replied, which earned him another swat on the knee. "Besides, come on, I've looked at the recipe. Calming Draught isn't that difficult. Sure, we can't find the supplies as easily on the school grounds, but we can order from Diagon Alley or get the ingredients on the trip to Hogsmeade next month. We also haven't looked at the student pantry yet."

"I don't think that's wise, Vaughn."

"Well, you're apparently giving out our supply to whomever, so why do you care about what's wise?"

Giuliana's chest tightened with indignation. "Lisa is not 'whomever,' she's a friend. _Our_ friend. She won't blab, and the potion came from my share of it. Why are you so cross about this?"

"I am not cross." Vaughn said, unable to convince himself of that. The afternoon at the Lake had been a rough one. The confusing sight of the Seventh Year boys without shirts, the lack of progress on finding a way to shorten the effect of the potion, Lisa's stentorian voice, and knowledge that Giuliana apparently shared a strong enough connection with Lisa to talk about their secret potion brewing was a lot, to put it mildly. Vaughn began gathering up his supplies and rose from the rock.

"Where are you going?" Giuliana asked.

"A walk, if that's ok." Vaughn replied sharply, sharper then he anticipated. Giuliana looked hurt by the tone, causing Vaughn to close his eyes and force himself to calm down. _He_ could certainly use a Calming Draught even if Lisa Turpin didn't. "Sorry, I don't know what's the matter with me. I'm really sorry."

"It's ok. Just cheer up before dinner, ok? We can play some chess tonight in the common room, huh?" Giuliana offered. She knew what upset him, and Vaughn didn't like that. He did appreciate the concern though.

"Ok, I'll see you at dinner." Vaughn replied, hooking his school bag over his shoulder and holding onto his diary closely. Giuliana smiled back at him, a big grin that Vaughn couldn't help but return before turning to climb down the rocks. As he did, cheers of joy and rage erupted from the lake shoreline. The second to last of the Seventh Years was out of the water, a Hufflepuff, grabbing quickly for her wand to cast a warmth charm while fellow Hufflepuffs wrapped her in already warmed blankets. The last Seventh Year in the lake was a Gryffindor, who cried out in triumph as he exited the lake. A mob of fellow Gryffindors cheered for him and swarmed him to congratulate the winner, oblivious to anyone else there.

_'Bloody Gryffindor.'_ Vaughn thought, and continued on his way.

* * *

**_Lisa Turpin is a mentioned character in _Sorcerer's Stone _as a First Year sorted into Ravenclaw_._ She's never mentioned again. So, why not give her some personality?_**

**_For a boarding school, I'm shocked at the lack of extracurriculars that Hogwarts seems to offer. For the most part, it seems the students spend their time in one of three ways: going to class, studying, or hanging out with friends. Now, Harry wasn't the most observant student, so we have some conflicting reports on whether or not there are any actual extracurricular clubs at Hogwarts. __Based on the novels, it appears there are clubs for all the major classes taught (Harry mentions a Charms Club and Potions Club), but whether these are fan clubs for the subject or an extension of the class, I can't say._**

**_The majority of non-educational clubs only appear as background posters in the movies. Since I'm working to keep this story close to true canon (i.e. the books) I'm discounting these clubs (sorry to the Frog Choir, Slugs and Bugs Club, and the Rat Race Club (?))._**

**_Because of this, I'm assuming Hogwarts does not have a theater program. I also believe this since we have no indication that the Wizarding World has a big arts scene. Of course, in a way, this does make sense for Witches and Wizards. When you can just flick your wand and an instrument can start playing whatever tune you want, learning how to actually play the instrument seems a bit small. Also, you can totally see how this plays into a class system where rich Witches and Wizards will buy expensive instruments to show off to their guests and then have the instruments play whatever melody best fits the mood._**

**_Next Up: A Hufflepuff our prodigy is smitten with_**

**_As a side note: why doesn't Hogwarts have a student run newspaper or publication? If they did, it would for sure help break down the House cliques and maybe, MAYBE, teach students about good journalistic ethics and how not to make government propaganda. They certainly won't learn that if they work at _The Daily Prophet_._**


	4. Friends in High Places

_**Happy New Year everyone!**_

* * *

**Chapter IV: Friends in High Places**

Vaughn's walk around the grounds of Hogwarts was a relaxing one, helping sooth his mind better than a Calming Draught could. He found solace in being alone for a while. It was also comforting to watch others enjoying their day. By the lake, Vaughn had seen a group of First year Hufflepuff and Ravenclaws throwing rocks into the water, no doubt trying to get the attention any magical creature that may be underneath. Vaughn could remember Giuliana and him doing something similar their First Year.

Beyond them, underneath the shadow of the Hogwarts' North Tower, a group of Gryffindors played Gobstones, a few of them heavily drenched in the putrid liquid the stones would squirt. _'A thoroughly horrid game.'_ Vaughn thought, wondering how anyone could enjoy it. It certainly fit though for the no doubt door knobbed intellect of Gryffindors. Wouldn't see them playing Wizarding Chess.

Before long Vaughn had traversed most of the grounds and found himself at the Quidditch Pitch. Perhaps that was his destination all along. While not a great Quidditch player, Vaughn did enjoy flying about and letting his mind wander as the wind blew through his hair and robes. Like any respectable Wizarding Family, the Rzhevsky home had a Quidditch Pitch where he'd first learned how to ride a broomstick. He played Quidditch with his cousins, though never excelled at it.

Now entering the pitch, itself, Vaughn saw roughly twenty students flying about. After looking at the colors on the other students' robes, Vaughn realized he was the only Slytherin there. Always a worrisome sign. Walking across the field, Vaughn approached Madam Rolanda Hooch, who's eagle like eyes were scanning the skies for any students misbehaving.

"Madam Hooch?" Vaughn began, "May I take a broom, please?"

Hooch turned her gaze to Vaughn, we almost backpedaled. Her eyes really were something. Were they enchanted? Was there some special blood in her that made them glow such an amber color? Holding her gaze for a few seconds, Hooch's face then broke out into a smile. "Of course." She replied, "We still have plenty in the back for non-Quidditch use."

Madam Hooch reached into her robes and pulled out her wand, unleashing a _Accio_ spell. A bustle of activity was heard from underneath the Quidditch stands, sounds of boxes and equipment falling over, before a broom shot out from storage and landed firmly in Madam Hooch's gloved hand. She didn't even flinch from the impact.

"Here you are. Nothing special but it'll get the job done and keep you safe." She said, handing over the broom along with goggles and gloves. Nothing special was right. Hooch handed Vaughn the Bluebottle broomstick, a broom for parents and their babies. Why Hogwarts had a Bluebottle broom was beyond him. _'No doubt more shoddy management from Dumbledore_.' Vaughn thought as he mounted the broomstick and ascended.

The chill hit Vaughn hard at first, and he took a moment to adjust while roughly fifteen meters off the ground. Once he felt warmth return to his limbs, Vaughn set off on the broom, intent on just doing laps around the field. The Bluebottle wasn't the fastest broom, and it slowed down a bit too hard on the turns, but it was an enjoyable ride still. Vaughn briefly considered asking his parents from a Nimbus for Christmas, but thought better. There were plenty of potion related material he could ask for instead.

After a few laps, Vaughn became aware that someone was calling for him.

"Hey, Slytherin!"

For a moment, Vaughn considered pretending he hadn't heard them, but the voice sounded urgent and Vaughn figured it was best to just engage and hope for the best. Stopping his broom, Vaughn looked up to see a Ravenclaw looking down at him.

"Oi! What's your name?" he asked. He looked older, though not by much. He was tall and lanky with a lot of freckles on his pale face. His brown hair was a mess from the flying, but he had a grin on his face that instinctively made Vaughn not like him.

"Vaughn Rzhevsky." He shouted back, steering his broom around so he was looking directly at the Ravenclaw.

"Rzhevsky, huh?" the boy smiled back. "Well isn't that fancy. Bit far from Durmstrang though, aren't ya? Well, I'm Eddie. Eddie Carmichael. Fourth Year Ravenclaw, here to bow to your Pureblood wishes!"

Vaughn's face grew hot. "What do you want?" he asked.

"Are you any good at Quidditch?" Eddie asked, lowering his broom so he was at the same height as Vaughn.

"Not really. I just like to fly." Vaughn replied, angling to leave.

"Well that's fine too. I'm particularly bad myself, and I play Keeper so you know that's no good. Fancy joining us? We're going to be facing off against these Gryffindors and we need another hand as a Catcher."

"Again, I'm really not great at-"

"Oi, come on! It's against a bunch of Gryffindors! Isn't beating Gryffindor your guys' thing? Or at least _trying_ to beat them, huh?"

"It's not my thing. I don't particular care about Houses. Now, if you'll excuse me-"

"Hey! Is he joining or not?"

The recognizable voice was higher above them. Anxiety filling him, Vaughn looked up and saw Theodore "Teddy" Young descending down to them. His stomach seemed to be in knots as he looked up at his Hufflepuff peer, looking semi-divine as the light shined across his black hair and pale figure. Teddy was tall for his age, with a nice square face and hair that was close cropped on the sides and spiky haired on top.

"Doesn't look like it, mate." Eddie shouted back.

"Actually, I'll do it."

That shocked even Vaughn as he spoke. Eddie offered a bemused smile while Teddy grinned. Even from a distance, Vaughn could make out Teddy's perfectly white teeth. How did one manage such white teeth?

Still unsure of himself, Vaughn ascended with Eddie up to Teddy and the other players on the team. Most of them were Third Years, while Vaughn noticed that the opposing team, predominately Gryffindors, was Fourth or Fifth Year. Vaughn did recognize the cocky face of Cormac McLaggen, a boy he absolutely despised. Vaughn wasn't even sure if fellow Gryffindors liked him. The McLaggen's fancied themselves big shots in the Ministry, but Vaughn's parents had told him they were mainly just tools for Minister Fudge. A pitiful place in life if there ever was one.

"We have our last player." Teddy said, bringing his broom closer to Vaughn and giving him a hug around the shoulder. Vaughn felt his knees go weak, something he didn't think possible while flying on a broom, and forced a smile before introducing himself.

"Are we sure he can play?" a dark-skinned Hufflepuff girl, Megan, asked. Vaughn recognized her from class, though he couldn't remember her last name. Her frizzy hair was pulled back into a bun, tied with a ribbon of yellow and black. When she turned, Vaughn noticed a badger pin in the middle of the ribbon. Vaughn thought that looked nice.

"I can play well enough as a Catcher." Vaughn replied, "Just don't expect me to do any loops or score from our goal, huh?"

The joke didn't land well, though Teddy chuckled. That certainly helped. "It'll be fine, Megan. Besides, it's not like they're any good." He said, gesturing to the other team.

"I just don't want to lose to them." Megan replied. A few of the other players agreed with her.

"She's competitive like that. You do not want to see her playing Wizards Chess." Teddy whispered to Vaughn.

"I heard that!" Megan said playfully. "Simmons, go get Madam Hooch, tell her we're ready. Everyone else, get to your positions!"

"I still need my Bludger bat!" Eddie cried, zooming off to grab it from Madam Hooch. Megan just shook her head before flying over to the goals to take up her position. Only Teddy and Vaughn remained.

"So, are you actually good?" Teddy asked. "I hear that all you Pureblood families have Quidditch Pitches to practice on."

"I'm ok. Quidditch isn't my strong suit." Vaughn asked, thrilled to be having a conversation with Teddy. They had spoken in class, of course, but their conservations outside the classroom were sparse. "How about you?"

"I do well for myself, considering the whole childhood in a non-magical household thing. Hoping to go out for Hufflepuff Catcher next year. Cedric Diggory seems to like me well enough and he's Captain so that's always good. And to be honest, I think flying around on brooms is the coolest thing about being a Wizard. At least until we get to upper levels, you know? And forget stereotypes, huh. All non-magical people think only Witches ride brooms, so it's nice to see that's not correct."

He was chatty. It certainly helped Vaughn since he still felt nervous around Teddy. Coming from him, it was also interesting to hear about the Muggle world. Vaughn had a feeling that Lisa wasn't always the most accurate source of information.

"Well, I'll make sure to hand the Quaffle over to you when I can." Vaughn replied, working up some courage. "I'm sure it's in better hands with you then with mine."

"You reckon? I'm not quite sure about that. I'm sure your hands are fine."

Vaughn nearly fell off his broomstick, a supposed impossible feat due to the Bluebottle's safety charms. Instead, he laughed, a bit too loudly while Teddy smiled back. Vaughn could not read his face but there was just a hint there that maybe he had the same confusing feelings as Vaughn. Maybe?

A whistle disrupted them, and Vaughn looked to see Madam Hooch ascending form the ground, whistle in her mouth. The Quaffle was in her hands and the twin Bludgers flying up behind her. As the players drew in closer to her, Madam Hooch explained her rules. They were for the most part the standard for Quidditch, but the scoring was done different. They would only play to a hundred points. Looking around, Vaughn realized that each team was short one player.

"Where are our Seekers?" Vaughn asked Teddy.

"No Seekers and no Snitch." Teddy replied. "Madam Hooch says it's too difficult to manage the Snitch for just a skirmish. It's why we're only playing till a hundred."

Before long the skirmish began with a sharp whistle. Overall, it was not the terrible experience Vaughn had feared it might be. He was decent enough and thankful for the gloves to protect his grip from sweaty palms. He was also always fast to offhand the Quaffle, though luckily Teddy was always there to help. He offered a wink every time he did so.

In the end, the older students were the victors by a margin of thirty points. The opposing team celebrated amongst themselves, but nobody seemed to angered by their loss except Megan. It wasn't an outward hostility though, more a stoic silence that befell her.

"Well that was fun." Teddy commented once they were back on the ground. Vaughn hadn't even noticed that the boy was behind him as he put the Bluebottle back into storage.

"We lost though." Vaughn replied, to which Teddy shrugged.

"It was more about making friends then winning." He said, storing his broom and equipment as well. "What are you up to now?"

"Dinner. I'm meeting a friend there."

"Oh? A friend?"

Vaughn laughed, feeling unnatural about it. "Yeah. Best Friend. From my First Year."

"Ah. Well, do you want to walk over together? Megan and I are heading there now." Teddy asked, to which Vaughn immediately agreed. It was shocking to see all this happening, but Vaughn wouldn't question it.

The walk back to the school was nice. Teddy didn't seem to stop talking though not in a grating way that Vaughn might have feared. He felt rude, but at times Vaughn interrupted Teddy to add his own thoughts. Teddy didn't seem to mind, always smiling and engaging Vaughn. That always caused him to have to look away, his face no doubt beet red. Megan for her part had also been less chilly then Vaughn expected. She never direct addressed Vaughn, but did respond to a few things he said. By the time they reached the Great Hall, Vaughn felt pretty comfortable around the Hufflepuffs.

"So, Vaughn, I have a proposition." Teddy began, "You're good at History of Magic, right?"

_'Not really.'_ Vaughn thought before responding "I think I'm pretty good."

"Brilliant. I thought so and that had me thinking. I want to put together a study group for that class. Would you want to join?"

"Sure!" Vaughn replied, perhaps a bit too fast. "Can my friend Giuliana join us though?"

"Is she in Slytherin too?" Teddy asked. From him, there didn't seem to be an accusatory tone behind it.

"Yeah, same year as me."

"Then sure. Slytherins are supposed to be smart, aren't they? Not like Ravenclaws, but smart, right? Two should be better than one then!"

Megan looked like she had some snide comment ready, but kept her mouth shut. Vaughn smiled back at Teddy, who proceeded to hug Vaughn. He thought he'd heart would stop for a moment.

"I'll work out the details with some people and get back to you on the study group soon enough!" Teddy said, breaking away from the hug. Taking Megan's arm, the two of the skipped away as Vaughn offered goodbyes to both of them, a smile on his face as he too entered the Great Hall.

The room was candle lit as always, the lighting auburn and yellow to represent the season of fall. Red, orange, and yellow leaves fell from the ceiling as well, vanishing before they got too close to the tables. At the Slytherin table, Vaughn noticed Giuliana eyeing his with a raised brow. She had clearly noticed him entering with two Hufflepuffs.

"Hey there!" Vaughn offered, sitting down quickly so he could grab a floating turkey leg and put it on his plate. "Sorry if I'm late."

"You're not late at all." Giuliana said, now eying the Hufflepuff Table. Vaughn didn't have to look to see who she was looking at.

"I might have made a friend."

"Have you?"

"Yes. Teddy Young."

"Thought you two were already friends?"

"Sorta. He just copied my work from History of Magic."

Giuliana laughed, taking a scope out of her beef stew. "Well he seems like a nice guy. Never heard him say a bad thing about anyone. So, what were you doing with him and Megan Jones?"

Quickly, Vaughn recounted the events of the Quidditch game and walking back to the Great Hall. Giuliana didn't seem upset by anything. Was she happy he was hanging out with others? Vaughn really couldn't tell and didn't want to think so. He suddenly remembered why he had been in such a mood earlier.

"And now he wants us to join his study group?" Giuliana asked, to which Vaughn nodded in response. "How many people are in it?"

"Don't know."

"What in particular does he need help with?"

"He- I actually don't know."

"Well, it should be interesting anyways. I'd be happy to help him out." Giuliana said, grabbing some of the bread to dunk in her stew. She leaned across the table as she did so. "Plus, it'd be a good way to see if we actually retained all that History of Magic knowledge thanks to the potion."

"Yeah." Vaughn replied, then realizing how beneficial that would be. "Yeah, that's a good idea."

"But if he and his fellow friends are just calling us there to get our notes, I think we should leave."

"Oh, completely agree." Vaughn lied. He didn't mind if Teddy copied his notes if it meant he got to spend some time with the Hufflepuff.

"And I've been thinking. We should try to make the Calming Draught."

Vaughn's eyes lit up at that. "You mean it?"

"I do. We can wait until we go to Hogsmeade in December to get the supplies, or we can order them. Most of them seem pretty cheap and not conspicuous. It's not like anyone checks the mail."

A smile was now plastered on Vaughn's face. "Let's brew this Friday during the Quidditch match!" Vaughn offered. "Well send out our orders tonight, should have the ingredients in two days, and have us ready for Friday to brew!"

Giuliana smiled back. "Well alright then." She agreed, dunking her bread into the stew again. As she ate, Vaughn looked behind him towards the Hufflepuff table. At it, Teddy was looking at him, though quickly averted his gaze when he saw. Vaughn looked away, a smile back on his face and heart close to bursting from his chest. The smile would remain for most of the evening.

* * *

_**I didn't remember a lot of details about Quidditch at Hogwarts, but upon research it seems that that there were only six matches in total a year? I know at one point Oliver Wood had the Gryffindor's practicing five times a week - and I'm assuming other Houses Quidditch teams did too - but if it's only being used by 28 eight students for six events, that seems like a waste. So, why not give Madam Hooch more to do and allow other students to use the Quidditch Pitch when the House teams aren't?**_

**_Not sure what the next chapter will be, so stick around! And please review with any critiques or whatever! _**


	5. The Club Forms

**_Hope everyone is doing alright with the outbreak. I had some free time so I came back to this story. There wasn't too much interest when I first uploaded, but we'll see what happens now. Please review and let me know your thoughts! _**

* * *

**Chapter V: The Club Forms**

The mood at Hogwarts was dour and the halls filled with whispered gossip. The Hufflepuff and Gryffindor Quidditch match had ended in horror as a swarm of Dementors attacked Harry Potter, knocking him from his broom during a raging thunderstorm. Dumbledore – of course – had saved Harry, but the student body was nervous. For two months the Dementors had been an unpleasant thought, but they stayed far enough away so that one never really had to think of them. The recent attack had disabused the student body, and the Hogwarts staff, of the notion that they could ignore those soul sucking horrors.

Not only could the Dementors not stop an escaped Azkaban prisoner, Sirius Black, from invading Hogwarts, but they'd also attack students as special as Harry Potter. Who was safe?

Giuliana looked back at Harry Potter while Professor Snape had his back turned to the class, writing on the blackboard and concluding his lesson on Lycanthropy and time as substitute Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. As usual, Potter was attentive on the lesson, pretending he didn't notice the eyes on him. Giuliana thought humility was good and all but the lengths Harry went to in order to downplay his fame made him seem a bit daft or simple at times.

A snarky comment by Professor Snape to a Gryffindor snapped Giuliana's attention back to the front of the classroom. Her mind was wandering too much that day, and after a few minutes of half-heartedly trying to take notes, she gave up. Looking to her left, Vaughn didn't seem to be doing much better. He was scribbling in his personal journal, angled in a way like he was trying to hide what he was writing from her.

She huffed at the gesture and looked away from him in turn. Vaughn had been in a foul mood since the weekend. Their third trip to the seventh-floor laboratory and foray into off the books potions making had been an utter failure. The Calming Drought had been a bust, congealing into a disgusting purple blob the first attempt and fizzling to the point of evaporation on the second attempt. Vaughn had then attempted by himself to make a third batch, only to fail again. His meltdown afterwards had been one of the worst reactions she had seen from anyone.

Finally, class ended and everyone lined up to turn in their papers on Lycanthropy. As Vaughn and Giuliana waited in line, the latter attempted to cheer up her best friend.

"Ready for our first study group?" she asked.

Vaughn shrugged. "I put together all the notes. We'll see how it goes."

"You really want to be Teddy's friend, huh?" Giuliana teased. Vaughn's face grew red at the comment.

"So, what if I do?" he asked, his tone accusatory.

"There's nothing wrong with it! Just don't forget about me, that's all." Giuliana replied. "Of course, I could just hang out with Lisa. We should check in to see if she got the choir up and running, yeah?"

Again, Vaughn shrugged and handed his paper into Professor Snape. He then turned and left the room, leaving Giuliana to scurry after him.

"Hey! Wait a minute! Vaughn, stop!" He finally did once he was out of the classroom, allowing the other students to pass him by and Giuliana to catch up. Once she did, she pulled him aside so they could speak privately. "Vaughn, I'm sorry too that the Calming Draught didn't work out. But it was our first attempt. We can get more supplies and try again later though."

"I know." Vaughn said.

"But this attitude needs stop. Why are you acting like this?"

"Giuliana, I swear I'm not upset or anything. Can we please just go to this study group in peace?"

"Vaughn-"

"Giuliana, please! I swear that I am fine. Bloody hell."

They were quiet as they walked. Giuliana knew Vaughn needed some time to calm down. She wasn't sure what was bugging him, but whatever it was she'd give him time. It wasn't his fault that they had failed the potion, she hoped he knew that. It was an advanced potion. They would get it with some more practice.

"Where are we meeting them again?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Down in the library. Teddy is getting us a table." Vaughn replied, turning to lead them down the staircase.

"How many people?"

"Don't know. I think like seven or something."

"All Hufflepuff?"

Vaughn shook his head. "No. I think some Ravenclaws too. I know that we're the only Slytherin and there are no Gryffindors."

"None at all?"

"Nope."

"Good."

Vaughn and Giuliana laughed together. The Gryffindors had been particularly obnoxious of late after their golden child Harry Potter had his run in with the Dementors. A lot of them acted once more like their House was the most important due to Potter. Like whenever Potter was in danger, somehow, they all were, and whenever Potter was important, somehow they all were important.

_'What a joke.'_ Giuliana thought. Gryffindor never ceased to annoy. _'But when Slytherin sticks together like that, somehow we're just below Death Eaters in terms of awfulness.'_

Together they went down the moving staircases to the third floor of the Hogwarts castle to meet up with their new study group. Giuliana had some worries about the group, uncomfortable with the idea of having to meet new people. Also, the fact that Giuliana felt out of her depth with History of Magic. Professor Binns always managed to put her to sleep.

"Do you actually know this subject?" Giuliana asked.

"Yeah. I mean, well enough." He replied.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, I studied a lot for this meeting."

"Did you use the potion?"

Vaughn was silent for a bit before finally responding. "So, what if I did?"

Giuliana laughed. "Nothing. I was just curious. You have two vials left now, right?"

"I do. We should make more of it soon."

Giuliana gave a nod of agreement. That would help boost Vaughn's mood. She also had to admit that the desire to make more potions was a constant pull in her. The sense of accomplishment, mixed with the thrill of breaking the rules, was a feeling that fourteen-year old Giuliana wanted more of.

They arrived at the library in a hurry, feeling like they were late. They found their new study group already gathered, sitting at a large table next to a large window pan that overlooked the Great Lake. With Vaughn and Giuliana joining them it was a total of seven students. They were the only Slytherins, while Teddy sat with three other Hufflepuffs and two Ravenclaws. No Gryffindor's was truly a relief. Giuliana wasn't in the mood to deal with them and their puffed-up egos now.

"Vaughn! I was worried you weren't coming!" Teddy said, jumping up from his seat to come greet them. He gave Vaughn a hug, which seemed to surprise everyone, though Vaughn gladly returned it.

"Class just ended, of course I was coming." Vaughn replied, leaning in deeply to the hug. Once more, Giuliana noticed a flash of red across her best friend's face. The two boys broke apart and Teddy turned to Giuliana to introduce himself. He was a nice guy. Very, very friendly and a bit hyper for Giuliana's taste, but overall not horrible. The rest of the group introduced themselves as Giuliana and Vaughn took a seat. Giuliana recognized Megan Jones but didn't know anyone else there.

"So, where should we begin?" Teddy began once introduction ended. He turned to Vaughn, handing over control of the group to him.

"Um, why don't we start at the beginning of the semester, with the Witch Burnings in the 14th Century." Vaughn offered, opening up his bag and pulling out a stack of parchment paper, each with detailed writing on it. "I've already gone ahead and compiled an outline of the assignments and readings we got. Sorry if the writing is illegible. I was working pretty late and lighting in the Slytherin Common Room gets a bit rough."

Everyone at the table looked stunned as Vaughn distributed the parchment. Giuliana was as well until she realized he must have used the concentration potion to do it. Judging by the remainder of his stack, he had made an outline for everyone on each section they had covered in History of Magic.

"This is… bloody hell." Megan offered, looking over the parchment. She was genuinely impressed, as were the others.

"How did you do this? A repetition spell? Enchant a quill?" Teddy asked.

"No, I wrote it all by hand."

"Liar." Teddy laughed.

"No, I'm serious! It helps me study to write everything." Vaughn replied, clearly reveling in the gratitude. "Let's take it subject by subject to review."

"Or maybe just one subject for today and then we can move on to another section for the next study round." Megan offered, holding up the parchment. "You've given us six sheets for just the Witch Hunts alone, and you wrote on the front and the back!"

"Good idea, Megan." Teddy said in support.

Vaughn looked put out but didn't protest. "Well then why don't we start with the causes of the Hunts and then go into Wendelin the Weird?"

The group agreed and they followed Vaughn's lead. Giuliana had never known her best friend to really shine in group dynamics as he was often prone to stammering and getting sweaty in front of his peers. Here though, Vaughn seemed in his element and entirely comfortable with the subject matter.

_'The potion really is remarkable.'_ Giuliana thought, but further thinking that _Vaughn_ was remarkable for having worked out the details on the potion.

They spent over an hour studying before the Hufflepuffs had to run off to their next class, effectively ending the study group. As they packed up, the group continued to give Vaughn praise for his outlines. No one sung Vaughn's praises higher than Teddy though.

"This truly is remarkable work, Vaughn. I didn't think anyone could ever actually care this much about History of Magic!" he said, grabbing onto Vaughn's shoulder, not for the first time that study group. As if on cue, Vaughn's face went red again.

"It's a fascinating subject. It's just too bad it's taught by a complete bore of a professor." He replied, packing away his parchment. Everyone one else had left except for Vaughn, Giuliana, and Teddy. Megan was waiting for Teddy near the library door.

"And do you really write out all your notes like that? It's so much information! You practically outlined the book!"

Vaughn laughed. "I don't do it for all of my classes, but I like to be prepared."

"Well, it's a good work ethic. Parents would love that."

"Actually, it was a little bit more than just 'work ethic' alone."

Giuliana glared at Vaughn, which he returned briefly. His look didn't show any concern. Teddy looked intrigued as well. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"Promise you won't tell anyone? Even Megan?" Vaughn asked.

"Vaughn!" Giuliana interrupted, though she wasn't sure what to say to change the subject. It gave both of them away as Teddy's eyes lit up.

"Bloody hell! You _did_ use an enchanted quill!" he said, "That's so clever! You have to show me how to enchant one of my own! You Pure Blood's really do know a lot of magic!"

The Pure Blood comment threw both of them off. "It wasn't an enchanted quill, or a repetition spell." Vaughn clarified.

"Vaughn, stop!"

"What?"

"Hey, it's ok, you can trust me! I won't tell!" Teddy assured them, before leaning in closer to Vaughn, looking serious. "I wouldn't do that to you, Vaughn."

The atmosphere around them felt odd, like something you would see in a romance novel. Giuliana wasn't sure what to make of it but she knew she didn't like it. Teddy's statement was enough for Vaughn though.

"Giuliana and I make potions that improve concentration, let you work for hours and hours, totally focused on the work in front of you."

"VAUGHN!"

Her raised voice got her a stern shush from people in the library. Teddy just stood there shocked. Before long, a smile came to his face.

"That's incredible." He breathed. "You make them yourself?"

"Yeah." Vaughn replied, relief on his face.

"As do I!" Giuliana added, suddenly feeling quite protective of her contributions to their secret project.

Before they could continue the conversation, Megan reappeared. "Teddy, we have to go!" she insisted. Teddy looked like he would give anything in the world not to leave but nodded his head in agreement. Before he left, he looked at both of the Slytherins and gave them a promise.

"I won't say a word, but I want to know more about this the next time we meet." Teddy said. Vaughn nodded eagerly while Giuliana didn't react. Once he had left with Megan, Giuliana hit Vaughn on the shoulder.

"Why would you do that? What about keeping a low profile with this?" she demanded.

"We can trust Teddy." Vaughn replied.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Based on what?"

"Just a feeling! I know I can trust him."

"And why is that? Because he looked at you very earnestly?"

Vaughn didn't reply to that, instead changing the conversation. "I want to start selling our potion to people."

The idea caused Giuliana to shout again and got them kicked out of the library. Once they left, Giuliana grabbed Vaughn by the arm and dragged him to a nearby corner of the castle where they could talk privately. When nobody was around, Giuliana began to accost her best friend.

"Why do you want to start selling to people? Do you actually want to get caught and expelled!"

"Giuliana. Don't you want people to know about what we've made?"

"Not if it gets us caught!"

"We could make our own potion shop!" Vaughn continued. "We could start our own network here at Hogwarts! And maybe even beyond!"

"Why? We don't need the galleons." Giuliana replied. Own their own potions shop? What a ridiculous idea. Having to brew in secret, cater to a clientele, gaining a reputation in a rather unsavory manner.

Or was it really unsavory? Some of the most respected witches and wizards were master potions brewers.

"It'll be a little extra spending money. Admit it, it would be fun!" Vaughn countered.

Giuliana considered all the little items she could buy with some of that money. Some cute decorations for her bed. Some new robes. Perhaps a new crystal ball and some books on Divination? Not that her parents deprived her of money. But still, it would be nice not having to disclose everything she was buying to her parents.

"Besides," Vaughn continued. "We can do it to show that we can."

That gave Giuliana pause, and she gave Vaughn a sympathetic look. "Vaughn, it was just one potion."

"Oh, bloody hell!" Vaughn hissed, face turning a slight shade of red.

"One potion we weren't ready for yet!" she continued. "You have nothing to prove!"

"I'm not doing it because of that! I'm want to do it because I want to create something unique, something special, and work on my potions making!"

"Well that's not what I want." Giuliana said. "That's not the life I want for myself."

"Well it's what I want for myself." Vaughn said defiant. "And it's what I plan to do."

"But… why?" Giuliana continued, still confused on the reasoning.

"Because… oh I don't know! Because I want to! Because I want to build something! Because I want to feel like my work matters!"

"Your work?"

"I know how it sounds. I just want to do _something_. And this, this seems ideal. And it would be contained. And I want you to join me on it."

Giuliana didn't respond immediately. She was thinking it over. _Really_ thinking it over. Neither of them had been under any illusions about what they were doing. Making these potions was certainly against school policy. It was probably even against Ministry law! But she couldn't deny the fun she had while making it. Besides, while the concentration potion _may_ be against the law, making calming droughts and other potions of that type certainly weren't

And seeing Teddy's face light up in wonder at what they had done was nice. Gratifying even to know that someone could appreciate them.

"Say we were to do this," Giuliana began cautiously, "how would we start?"

Vaughn smiled, already knowing she was on board. "I don't think we should involve anyone else in Slytherin. I doubt they'd rat, but we don't want any issues in our House. Imagine Malfoy with knowledge of this!"

"He'd be even more unbearable than usual." Giuliana admitted.

"Preciously. Because of that, we should go through Teddy. He's popular and gets on with everyone it seems. He could help us find our first customers!"

"If we can trust him." Giuliana pointed out, not sold on Teddy yet. The connection him and Vaughn invoked a mess of confusing feelings from her she wasn't sure what to do with. "Can we really trust him?"

"We'll find out soon enough." Vaughn shrugged. "If he tells Megan or others about the potion then he obviously can't be trusted and this new business won't be going anywhere. We'll just have to leave it up to fate, and you love fate and all that stuff!"

Giuliana rolled her eyes and smiled. "Should I get my crystal ball to try and tell the future on that one?"

"Only if you want to. But I already know we can trust Teddy."

Adjusting her glasses, Giuliana considered the plan further. "If we do this, we can't call it a business."

"Why not?"

"Because if other people know that, then it'll just raise eyebrows and questions from people we don't want that attention from."

Vaughn considered that before nodding his head in agreement. "Ok, what should we call it?"

"Well, let's start off with calling it a club!"

"So… we need to get a professor to sponsor us?"

"No, no way! This is secret, right? But if we call it a club then others will as well, and if people overhear us talking about it, they can just write it off as people talking about a legitimate club."

Vaughn nodded his head in agreement. "Ok, so let's call it what?"

"The Potions Club!"

Vaughn frowned. "There's already a Potions Club. Professor Snapes the faculty sponsor."

"Oh, right."

"Also, whatever we come up with should be able to be acronym too. How about, the Potions Appreciation Club!"

Giuliana thought about that. It came too quick to Vaughn. Clearly he had been thinking about this some, making Giuliana wonder again what he was writing down in that diary of his. The name itself wasn't incredibly original but it wasn't horrible. It sounded much like any other school club. "And it can be shortened to P.A.C." she continued.

"Exactly!"

"Well, I'm not opposed. Potions Appreciation Club it is then!"

Vaughn's face lit up and Giuliana couldn't deny how excited she was about the prospect as well. It was something unique, something that would be all Vaughn and her's. And Teddy's, she supposed, but hopefully he could be minimized and wouldn't want to brew with them.

Besides, who didn't want to be part of something secret and a little bit dangerous? All the greatest Witches and Wizards in history had been a part of an exclusive club at one point or another.

"We should start right away on!" Vaughn said, blazing ahead with new ideas. "I have some new potion ideas in my journal that we could work with as well!"

"Of course!" Giuliana cautioned. "But first, we have to wait and see if Teddy can live up to his promise."

* * *

**_We're finally getting into the Potion Appreciation Club! Now is when all the hijinks start. _**

**_Stay tuned for more coming soon (I promise since the next chapter is already done)._**


	6. How to Market Your Potions 101

**_Thanks to the new subscribers and reviewers. Both mean a lot and I hope to keep hearing from everyone!_**

* * *

**Chapter VI: How to Market Your Potions 101**

Vaughn and Giuliana's debate about when to get back in touch with Teddy ended the next morning when a brown and white spotted owl flew in with the other delivery owls in the morning to drop a letter in front of Vaughn just as he finished his black pudding and pancakes. The letter only had his name and Giuliana's on it. Confused, they opened the letter together, the ink still fresh on it and the writing done hastily.

_Let's all meet today._

_ Come to the Armoury during the Lunch hour._

_ Plenty to discuss :)_

_-Teddy_

Vaughn looked across the Great Hall to the Hufflepuff table, hoping to catch Teddy's eye. He wasn't looking, instead engrossed in some conversation with three other Hufflepuffs.

"The smiley face is a fun bit." Giuliana commented.

"Those touches are his style." Vaughn replied, folding up the letter and folding it into his robes. A pitcher of juice passed by and he grabbed it, refilling his glass before letting it go to continue on its route down the Slytherin table.

"You know, I've never actually been to the Armoury." Giuliana said.

"It's on the Fifth Floor. I think."

It was actually on the Third Floor next to the trophy room, a location that neither Slytherin had ever been to. What use did they have to gawk over the school time accomplishments of Witches and Wizards long since gone from Hogwarts? But, thanks to some help from a choir of singing women in a portrait, the Slytherin found the Armoury, looking in awe at the rows of pristine medieval armor on display. Upon closer inspection, most of them were inlaid with runes. The Armoury was empty except for a figure dressed and the black and yellow trimmed robes of Hufflepuff.

"Did you guys get lost?" Teddy asked.

"Only a little. We've never been here before." Vaughn replied, taking a seat next to Teddy. He made enough room for Giuliana to sit but she instead preferred to stand.

"Your owl is cute." She said, looking over the armor set in front of them.

"Megan will be happy to hear you compliment Hera."

"Sorry?" Giuliana asked, turning to look at Teddy, worry in her eyes.

"Sorry, I had to borrow Megan's owl. Good thing she wasn't there in the morning to see Hera fly by with a letter to you two."

"That wasn't your owl?" Giuliana asked, eyes wide with shock now.

"No, I'm from a non-magical family, remember? We didn't exactly have the Galleons for an owl from Eeylops. I ended up getting a salamander instead. Odd little guy, but he's fun."

"So, you told Megan about the potion?!" Giuliana accused.

"No, bloody hell, no! I keep my promises." Teddy assured them. "I borrow Megan's owl all the time to write home. Freaks the neighbors out though whenever they see the owl in our yard, but so far nobody's realized the owl carries letters."

Giuliana posture relaxed, the threat to their secrecy over. Vaughn hadn't realized that his body had tightened up as well and took a moment to breath and relax.

"That's good at least. But why are we meeting in such an odd place?"

"Well I assumed you didn't want people to know you were becoming drug dealers!" Teddy commented. "Not that you're actually drug dealers or anything. This is nothing like that."

Both Slytherins were confused by that. "Drug dealers?" Vaughn asked, assuming it was some muggle thing he was unaware of.

"Good one." Teddy laughed, thinking it was some sort of joke. "But listen, I reckon we should be careful with this. But I'm sure you guys have already thought up everything, right?"

That gave both Slytherins pause, with Giuliana looking at Vaughn to take the lead. "Well, I've thought up a general idea, yes." Vaughn began.

"So, you really haven't thought up a plan then, huh?"

Vaughn looked sheepishly back at Teddy. "I have a plan." He muttered, though Teddy just laughed.

"I'm sure you do." He said, "But maybe we should focus on something more concrete. So, what was your plan?"

"Giuliana and I would focus on the production aspect of the potion. Since you're more popular, you could focus on the selling aspect of it."

"Really?" Teddy asked, thinking it over. "Well, I could certainly think of people who might want it."

"I was thinking of upper level students." Vaughn continued, knowing that Giuliana would be upset by that. Sure enough, Giuliana did not seem thrilled by the prospect, though Vaughn could guess it was because she wasn't consulted about it.

"Upper level students? So, like Seventh years?" Teddy asked, which Vaughn nodded. "I know some Seventh Year Hufflepuffs, sure. But I'm not sure that I could get Seventh Years in other houses to come along."

"Well, we can give it time." Vaughn encouraged. He also thought that selling the potion to other Seventh Years would be difficult. Still, if Teddy could deliver the Seventh Years in his house, who were eager to pass their N.E.W.T.s then that was good enough for Vaughn.

"What made you guys want to do this anyways?" Teddy asked. "We can obviously get into a lot of trouble for this. Though, I guess it will matter more for you guys then for me. I come from a non-magical family anyways."

"It's difficult to explain." Vaughn began. "Giuliana and I made this potion together and we enjoyed it. It… it was difficult by being able to pull it off and made things special. I guess we just wanted to start something, ya know, special."

"Based off what I've seen, if you can actually make a potion that can make you suffer through Professor Binns History of Magic willingly then it's worth however many Galleons people will pay for it."

Both Vaughn and Teddy laughed together. It was nice to feel relaxed around another guy. Vaughn had spent most of his time at Hogwarts with Giuliana, something he didn't regret at all, but it had been a lot of feminine energy. Perhaps there was more there with Teddy, but Vaughn wasn't sure what to do about it.

"Beyond Seventh Years, who else do you think you can promote it to?" Giuliana questioned.

Teddy shrugged. "I'm honestly not sure. Do you guys know anyone we can promote it with?"

Both Slytherins shrugged at the suggestion. "We were thinking students about to take their term finals. Besides that, we're not sure."

"You two have really plotted this out, huh?" Teddy joked. "Well, before I start selling, I'm going to need to test the potion myself. Just to make sure that when I recommend it, I mean every word I say."

Vaughn had been expecting this and pulled out a phial of the concentration potion, its turquoise colored contents swirling around inside. "This is just the first potion that we've worked on. We have a lot more coming up soon." He said, handing over the phial to Teddy. He looked it over, as if trying to visually decipher any dangers it might pose to him.

"So, what exactly happens?" Teddy asked. Vaughn gave him the run down on the effects and recommendation on when and where to use it. Teddy nodded along as Vaughn explained, hiding the potion inside his robes before giving both Vaughn and Giuliana a smile.

"I'll try it out tonight. But if I die, I swear I'll come back to haunt both of you!"

* * *

Teddy did not die. Instead, he stormed into the Great Hall for breakfast and ran to Vaughn and Giuliana in jubilation.

"That was amazing!" he excitedly whispered to them, taking a seat at the Slytherin Table. The other Slytherin's present looked shocked by this social faux pas. Co-mingling between the Houses in the Great Hall wasn't a common occurrence for the Slytherin table. Vaughn and Giuliana looked nervously at their fellow Housemates, trying to calm the excited Hufflepuff down.

"Hold on, Teddy." Vaughn tried, though he felt extremely proud that Teddy thought his potion a success.

More eyes were being drawn towards them, hisses and whispered exchanged between the older students picking up in volume. Teddy didn't seem to care that the majority of Slytherin's thought he was out of place. He was a proud yellow trimmed Hufflepuff robes among a sea of green ones. As a tray of toast floated by, Teddy reached out to grab a few pieces and gobbled them up ravenously.

To avoid any conflict and further attention, Vaughn and Giuliana leapt up from their seats and heading towards the exit with Teddy. Vaughn looked around the Great Hall for eyes on them, but the only ones were from the Slytherin table. They darted off to the side of the Great Hall's entrance only to have to change course as the corner was occupied by Nearly Headless Nick, entertaining a group of excited First Year Gryffindors.

Stepping outside into the chilly November air, Vaughn led the group around the exterior of the Great Hall to a private spot. With no one around, the group began to conspire out loud.

"Alright, how did it go?" Vaughn asked, unable to keep the excitement out of his voice.

"Brilliantly!" Teddy exclaimed. "To be totally open and honest, I didn't actually think it would work!"

"You have that little faith in us?" Giuliana asked.

"You never know!" Teddy defended himself, "It sounded too good to be real, ya know? But bloody hell it was fantastic! For two hours I was completely focused on History of Magic. History. Of. Magic! Who would have thought that level of concentration and care could exist for such a bore of a subject?!"

"Only two hours?" Giuliana sounded shocked, shooting Vaughn a look.

"Yeah, which was maybe a bit too long for me since near the end I was reading and note taking for subjects next semester!"

Vaughn could feel Giuliana's eyes burrowing into him. He ignored them though and the accusation they carried. "And what about headache?" Vaughn asked.

"Oh, that was awful, you should work on that. But overall worth it! Do you think I could get another phial for tonight? I want to plow through my Astronomy reading and star charts."

"We're trying to sell it." Vaughn said, "So we probably shouldn't be using it too often."

"Right, that's a good call." Teddy conceded. "Ok, I can for sure recommend it to people. But we have to be smart about selling, of course. So, I don't think we should start in Hogwarts."

Neither Slytherin liked that. "Why not? We brew in Hogwarts and its fine." Vaughn said.

"Ok… even that makes me nervous for you guys. This whole Castle is crawling with secret eyes and ears. How haven't you two been caught yet?"

Vaughn felt his face go red, embarrassed to be reprimanded. Giuliana didn't share that same fears, her tone confrontational. "We're not morons. We have a good spot and are always careful."

"Where is this spot?"

Vaughn was about to say but Giuliana cut him off. "Don't worry about that yet." She replied, eyebrow raised in an open challenge to Teddy.

"We have to be able to trust one another." Teddy replied.

"And we will once you help us sell _our_ potion."

Teddy just shrugged in response, while Vaughn began to feel guilty. Giuliana had put extra emphasis on 'our,' causing him to think about how he presented the potion to Teddy the first time they discussed it.

"Fine, I can live with that." Teddy commented. "But you two need to start brewing quick. Have to make plenty of it and need to fine tune it."

"Can you bring in enough customers?" Giuliana asked.

"I'm a popular guy. So, how much can you two make?"

A debate ensued about that question, along with the logistics that came with it. It didn't take long for all three Third Years to realize they would need far more supplies then what they were working with now. That involved having to place orders to Slug and Jiggers along with the other Apothecaries in Diagon Alley.

"That won't be cheap." Vaughn considered. "If we do that, we all need to chip in. It can be like the P.A.C. fund. Some of the Galleons we make can go towards it in the future."

"Um.. do I need to remind you two about the Salamander instead of the Owl thing I mentioned?" Teddy commented.

"Meaning?"

"Meaning I can't just fork over a huge sum of Galleons. How about you two Purebloods cover me for the start and then when we bring in some Galleons I'll pay you both back." Both agreed, though Giuliana looked uneasy about it. "Brilliant!" Teddy continued, moving onto the next subject. "So, for selling I reckon we start on the next Hogsmeade trip."

That took Vaughn by surprise. "That's a month away!"

"So? Gives you plenty of time to brew. Oh, what about other potions? Do you have any?"

Remembering his failure, Vaughn shook his head, but Giuliana chimed in. "We worked on a Calming Draught, but it was a bust. We're going to try again soon though."

Teddy considered that. "A Calming Drought would be good for stressed out O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. students next semester. That's something to plan for in the future if we're successful." Both Slytherins nodded, causing Teddy to grab their arms and attempt to excite them. "You guys, why so glum? This is exciting!"

"What should we charge per phial?" Giuliana thought out loud.

"We'll figure that out after we purchase all the ingredients." Vaughn replied. "Some of the costs could be cut down though just be foraging around the Hogwarts grounds for some of the supplies."

"You've been doing that? That's incredible." Teddy said, shaking his head in wonder. "I love magic."

Megan appeared and Teddy made his excuses and left, the excitement leaving with him. In its place was a tense atmosphere, the unmistakable air of coming conflict shaping it. "Where did he get a potion that only lasted for two months?" Giuliana asked, tone even.

Vaughn didn't see any reason to hide it. "I brewed it myself."

"When?"

"When you were with Lisa the other day." Vaughn said, before shrugging. "I was bored."

Giuliana looked furious but tried to control it. "Vaughn, the only way we'll succeed is if we're open with each other. And if we do it _together_."

Vaughn was quiet before responding. "I know. I'm sorry too. I was just excited and wanted to keep going."

"I can understand that. I do. But we need to do it together or else things will slip through the cracks. We have a bunch of time to buy and find supplies and then brew. Again, this could spell major trouble for us and if one of slips up, it's all over. We need to do it all together."

"And we will."

"Promise?"

"Giuliana-"

"Promise?"

"Yes, I promise."

Giuliana sighed, forcing her body to relax. "Alright, I'm going to head back in. Get some more pudding before we start class. Do you want to join?" Vaughn nodded and followed her. As they walked in silence back into the Great Hall, Vaughn began thinking once more about the costs associated with their new endeavor. Both Giuliana and him had the money already from their parents to cover a lot of it, but it wouldn't cover all the costs of the P.A.C.

Not all of the costs would be financial, Vaughn began to realize.

* * *

_**Next Chapter: Adventures in Hogsmeade and the Club attempts their first sales!**_


	7. Hogsmeade's Newest Secret Vendor

_**Turns out Megan Jones is a Character you can tag for FanFic stories so yeah, Megan! We finally have a Harry Potter character to tag for the story. I looked it up and Megan J. only has 51 stories to her name. Well, 52 now! Bottom line, Megan will be making a bigger appearance in future chapters. **_

**_Onto Hogsmeade! Enjoy!_**

* * *

**Chapter VII: Hogsmeade's Newest Secret Vendor**

The end of the first term was a slow burn with the days growing colder and forcing everyone to remain inside for warmth. That November had been the coldest winter in a while, and no number of enchanted clothing items for warmth seemed to be able to help. Many blamed it on the Dementors just outside the gate, their ghastly presence and freezing nature working to support the theory. Nobody could think of a reason to disagree with that.

The only exciting School news before term finals was that Ravenclaw's Quidditch team had flattened Hufflepuff in their match. Ravenclaw's Third Year Seeker Cho Chang had been toying with Hufflepuff's Seeker, Cedric Diggory, for a while before snatching the Golden Snitch, allowing Ravenclaw to rack up a shockingly high tally against the normally proficient Hufflepuff. With that victory, Ravenclaw had skyrocketed to the top of the Hogwarts league with a solid chance of winning the Quidditch Cup that year. The news had left many in Gryffindor and Slytherin on edge.

On the whole, as with every end of the term, the student body seemed to hit a wall of fatigue as the countdown to the Christmas Holiday began. This wall did not exist for the members of the Potions Appreciation Club, who had grown quite fastidious about production of the Concentration Potion.

"We really need to think of a better name for it." Vaughn commented to Teddy and Giuliana as they schemed in the library.

"Let's make sure it sells first." Giuliana cautioned.

"I don't know. I reckon that all the best people in marketing will be owling us to ask us to name things for them. 'Concentration Potion?' Brilliant!" Teddy joked, eliciting a small laugh from Vaughn and even a smile from Giuliana. The P.A.C. had been spending quite a lot of time together recently and the initial tension seemed to have resided some. Giuliana also seemed far more comfortable around Teddy, perhaps because she saw him commit fully to the idea. One day he came in with a full page of numbers and statistics about costs and profits, much to Giuliana's interest and delight. She still didn't trust him enough to divulge the location of their potion workshop, but she at least liked him.

Their group's growing friendship hadn't escaped their peers' attention though. Vaughn and Giuliana had been questioned by fellow Slytherin about it a few times, with Malfoy as the Grand Inquisitor. He'd often question them in the Common Room why the two of them wanted to lower themselves to the level of "that mouthy Hufflepuff."

"Everyone knows the Rzhevsky and Cumano stock isn't high." Malfoy sneered. "But to lower it down to befriend some Mudblood? You insult all of us Purebloods."

"Careful, Malfoy. We wouldn't want to break that other arm of yours." Giuliana warned. "You could go running to Daddy about it, sure. But Daddy will find it a lot harder to deal with ancient Bloodlines such as ours. He should probably just stick to messing with Groundskeepers. They're more his speed and challenge, hmm?"

Hisses erupted across the Slytherin Common Room, most of them in amusement at someone punching back at Malfoy. The blonde-haired brat's ears went red from the insult and he retreated back into the circle of sycophants and dimwits he called friends. Almost no one besides those "friends" was on Malfoy's side about the Buckbeak incident, House solidarity or not. Vaughn and Giuliana had been there that day and both agreed that Malfoy had disobeyed very clear instructions from Professor Hagrid about treatment of the Hippogriff. Now Malfoy had his father making a big stink about it at the Ministry. It apparently worked as there was to be a hearing about Buckbeak in April before the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures.

"Dumbledore could probably stop Lucius Malfoy dead in his tracks if he wanted." Vaughn mused to Giuliana one night as they brewed their potions. "Could just owl some old friends in the Ministry and that would be that. My parents say Dumbledore has plenty of contacts, so why doesn't he use them?"

Giuliana snorted in response while carefully distilling the contents of her cauldron. "Because Dumbledore is ultimately useless unless you have a lion sewn into your robes. Who knows though."

But beyond the Slytherins, Teddy's own friends began to question P.A.C.s growing friendship. Megan Jones, as Teddy's best friend, was chief among them, and eyed the three of them suspiciously whenever they were together and talking in hushed voices. She had attempted several times to invade those conversations, only to be beat back with silence from the Slytherins and smiles with excuses from Teddy.

"Sorry I have to ask, but why can't I tell Megan about the stuff we're doing?" Teddy, not the first time, had asked.

"We don't know Megan that well." Vaughn had replied.

"Well you both didn't know me that well either when you approached me, and I'm trustworthy. Well, trustworthy enough." Teddy said with a wink. "But honestly, I don't know what to keep telling her. I can't say we're friends and then _not_ invite her to hang out with us."

"You could tell her we don't like her?" Giuliana proposed.

"Um.. yeah… so do we have any other better ideas than that? Oh, wait, are you serious?"

They never did come up with a better idea, though Giuliana and Vaughn continually promised to think about including Megan. Vaughn was inclined to say yes to it but knew Giuliana needed some time with it.

Finally, it was time to go to Hogsmeade. The Saturday was ok; the sky had cleared up, though there was still some light snowfall and the ground had frosted over. The student mood on the train ride to Hogsmeade was excited as most of those going had already finished term finals and papers. The Hogsmeade trip was a final friend outing for many before returning home for the Christmas Holiday. Vaughn understood that a few students remained behind at Hogwarts during the Christmas Holiday, but he didn't know any Slytherins who did.

"Seems more like a Muggle thing to do so they don't have to go back to their magicless lives." Vaughn said as Giuliana and him discussed it. They had insulated themselves in a private cabin near the front of the train, enjoying some warm coco from the trolley. Teddy was with friends near the back of the train and would meet them in Hogsmeade.

"You know Pippa, the Fifth Year in our House?" Giuliana asked, to which Vaughn nodded. "She's apparently staying at Hogwarts for the Holidays."

"Why?"

"Don't know. Heard she's had some trouble at home though and doesn't want to go back."

"That's tragic." Vaughn said, trying to imagine life without his family.

The journey from Hogwarts to Hogsmeade was a short one. After a somewhere between five to ten minute ride, the horn on the train blew several times to signal their arrival. Finishing their coco quickly and accidently burning their tongues, both Vaughn and Giuliana exited their cabin and joined the throng of students eager to explore the village.

Hogsmeade was an old but brightly colored village, with candles hanging in large pine trees to commemorate the holiday. As the only purely magical inhabited village in Great Britain, Hogsmeade held a high level of importance to the British Wizarding Community. Founded by Hengist of Woodcroft over a thousand years ago, the simple looking village of cottages and shops had a lot of history, so much so that the air buzzed with generations of built up magic. Unfortunately, most of that history was lost through shoddy record keeping and legends had risen in the place of facts.

Vaughn and Giuliana debarked the train together, leaving the station and headed up High Street to their meeting point with Teddy. J. Pipin's Potion was a turquoise colored shop that sold a variety of potions for all ailments. Their biggest seller was the Blemish Blitzer for bad acne. Teddy was outside of it, snowflakes sticking to his black robes and yellow and black Hufflepuff scarf.

"You two ready?" Teddy asked, grinning from ear to ear. Both Slytherin's nodded, equally as excited. "Then let's get start."

Expecting to be led to some secret location or mysterious back alley, both Slytherin's were disappointed to find Vaughn leading them into Tomes and Scrolls, a bookshop that was established in 1768 and had a playful rivalry with Flourish and Blotts in Diagon Alley. Teddy led them into the store, gave the shop owner a wave, and brought them to the second floor.

"What are we doing here?" Vaughn asked. Besides the shop owner in the back and an older Hufflepuff downstairs, they were the only ones there.

"Just give it a sec and look at some books."

The Slytherins followed Teddy's lead again, looking over the books around them. Vaughn was glancing through the odd book _How to Love Acromantula So They Can Love You! _when the Hufflepuff came upstairs and stood next to Vaughn. He looked nervous and talked quickly with Teddy, who was relaxed in comparison. Teddy called Vaughn over, wrapping an arm around him when he was close enough.

"Got the potion?" he asked.

Now Vaughn was as nervous as the older Hufflepuff. Looking down to make sure the shopkeeper wasn't coming up the stairs, Vaughn reached into his robes, pulling out the shimmering turquoise phial, and handed over the potion to the older Hufflepuff. Looking it over, he then handed Vaughn a heavy pouch of Galleons. The older Hufflepuff quickly left, feet slamming against the old wooden staircase as he left.

Giuliana rushed over to join them. "What just happened?"

"Congrats, everyone! We just made our first sale!" Teddy said, pulling away from Vaughn. "Now, onto our next one."

Without another word, he headed down the wooden stairs, followed by Vaughn and Giuliana. The exited the store and went down High Street back towards the train station. Nearing the edge of the village, Teddy took them on a left turn towards a cul-de-sac area of shops. They passed the first few before Teddy lead them down an alley between Ceridwen's Cauldrons and an empty storefront.

Soon they were traversing through some trees and over a hill before coming out in front of a mostly frozen pond. A few larger boulders lay around it and Teddy sat down on the one with the least amount of snow covering it.

"And now we wait for our next customers." Teddy instructed.

They waited in silence. Vaughn took the opportunity to count the Galleons they had received, marveling at the sum. Giuliana did as well for a bit before breaking off to skip rocks against the pond. Each hit the thin ice loudly, cracking the ice bit by bit until the pond was liberated from its icy confines.

Five minutes after they arrived, two older girls arrived.

"Ladies!" Teddy called out, jumping off from the rock to greet them. They chatted for a bit until the two girls looked at Vaughn and Giuliana, their eyes judging.

"These are your partners?" The Hufflepuff asked.

"They are the masterminds behind it, yes." Teddy replied.

The Ravenclaw snorted. "Should have known _snakes_ were involved in all this." she muttered, pulling out her share of the payment. The Hufflepuff did the same. Teddy, ignoring the Ravenclaw's comment, beckoned for Giuliana and Vaughn to join him. They each pulled out one phial of the potion and handed it over as the money was put into Teddy's hands.

"You'll be so satisfied that after the Holiday you'll be begging for more to keep up with your N.E.W.T. workload." Teddy assured them as they left. Once they were out of earshot, Teddy turned to them, rolling their eyes. "Well they were pleasant." He joked.

"As long as they're paying, I don't care what they think of us." Vaughn lied.

The waited for another fifteen minutes and another student from Hufflepuff arrived. Vaughn knew him to be a Sixth Year, unlike their previous three customers. Like the others, the older student handed over his Galleons and received the potion in return. After he was out of sight, Teddy informed them they were moving again.

He led them back into Hogsmeade and through groups of students running between shops and enjoying the merriment of Hogsmeade. Expecting them to go somewhere quieter, Vaughn was shocked when Teddy led them into the busiest shop in Hogsmeade: Zonko's Joke Shop.

Inside, students pushed against one another to try out the latest prank toys and trick potions on sale. Rockets shot overhead as one student failed to properly wind up a toy, causing a fit of laughter to erupt around him. On a table in the back, a group of Chocolate Frogs were singing and doing a ragtime dance routine for the delight of students. Elsewhere in the colorfully orange and pink store, a girl screamed as her hair turned frizzy and a pungent shade of brown and green. Through it all, the two shop owners danced around the crowds, laughing and encouraging the teenage students in their antics.

"You can't be serious." Giuliana stated, looking around the joke store.

"Totally serious." Teddy said, before having to duck to avoid being hit by an out of control enchanted paper broomstick. A Leprechaun was riding it, and as it flew it left a trail of the colors of Ireland's National Quidditch Team. Once it was safe to stand up again, the group moved deeper into the joke shop, finding themselves a nook in the back of the shop to hang out until a Hufflepuff, who Vaughn knew was their Houses Beater, Anthony Rickett, came up to them. As with the other sales, he handed over a small bag of Galleons and received the potion in return. It was so blatantly out in the open, Vaughn expected someone to say something.

But no one did. Everyone's eyes were elsewhere, distracted by the many outlandish and magical items in the store that they couldn't be bothered to look at the one ordinary thing happening in the nook of the store.

Once Rickett left, Teddy put the Galleons in his robes and turned to them. "And that's that." He said.

"What?" both Slytherins said in unison.

Teddy, in typical form, just flashed a smile. "Who wants tea?"

The group then migrated over to Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop at the edge of Hogsmeade. Vaughn had never been and was shocked to find how cramped things were inside. It was all very nicely decorated with immaculate China sets, lacy napkins, and small intimate tables. The proprietor and eponymous owner, Madam Puddifoot, was making the rounds, taking orders and serving tea and treats to the patrons, most of whom seemed to be couples from Hogwarts.

"The coloring is a bit loud, but they have the best tea I've tasted so far in the magical world." Teddy complimented.

With the tea shop's bright pink exterior, "loud" was a bit of an understatement. Inside, things were tightly packed but the atmosphere cozy. The inside apparently changed for the season or holiday and was currently decorated for Christmas. The room was covered with garland and bells, decorated with frilly red bows. A large yuletide log burned in the fireplace that was enchanted to emanate a faint smell of pine tree and peppermint. Above the patrons, golden cherubs hovered and played Christmas music on little red colored instruments. One mischievous cherub, however, was holding a mistletoe and teasing couples in the shop with it.

The tea they had ordered arrived quickly. After a few moments to allow it to cool some, Teddy lifted it to his lips and sipped slowly, enjoying everyone. "Excellent." He said. "Of course, only the best stuff the Brits stole from other countries would make it into the Wizarding World."

Neither Slytherin could tell if he was joking or what that meant and instead changed the conversation. "So, that's it? We're done for today?" Giuliana asked.

"For today." Teddy replied before continuing once he saw the look of disappointment and annoyance on their faces. "Look, I told you both not to expect many customers our first time sellin', I think five students is a good start."

"Teddy," Giuliana began, annoyance still in her voice, "You ran the numbers with us. What we made today barely gets us over the amount we spent on supplies. And with what's left, we only get fifteen Galleons each!"

Teddy shook his head in response, "Look, you both come from rich families. Worse yet, you come from rich _Wizard_ families! You don't know how business is run!"

"You buy supplies, you make something, and then sell it, not that complicated." Vaughn commented.

"But it is! There's more to it than that. Otherwise every bloke would be rich and think Leprechaun Gold was legit! Oh, blimey, back in First year for Christmas, Megan bought me some Leprechaun Gold as a Christmas Gift and I thought it was real so-"

"Teddy! Your plan?" Giuliana asked.

"Oh, right. Right then, look. It's a good product but no one knows that yet. Now, I found us five students who we can trust not to blab to others about the potion, except to those who want to but it themselves!"

"So, you're building a network of students we can sell to." Vaughn finished.

"Preciously!"

Well, I guess that works." Vaughn said, "But why are we selling in stores?"

"Because magical stores are the perfect place to sell."

"Out in the open where everyone can see?" Giuliana questioned. "Seems like an easy way to get caught!"

"That's fair, but here's the thing. No one is actually watching us!" Teddy exclaimed.

Both of them were confused now, so Teddy had to explain. "Ok, in the non-magical world, they might have guards at the store, checking everyone as they leave or just making rounds. Some even have these little chips in a plastic bar – you know what, never mind you two wouldn't understand that. Anyways, the point is in the non-magical world everyone is vigilant for theft and because of that, they're also on the lookout for any underhanded business happening in their store. But with spells protecting a store from theft – a shopkeeper's greatest worry – why would they need to be vigilant for all things on the shady side?"

"So, because we have spells, unlike muggle stores-"

"Non-magical stores."

Vaughn blinked at that. "Sorry?"

"Sorry, non-magical stores don't have spells, keep going."

Giuliana was just as confused as Vaughn as he continued. "Er, right. Because Hogsmeade uses spells, the owners don't worry about any bad stuff happening in their stores and then don't keep an eye out for that kind of activity?"

"Correct!"

"That's, that's kind of wild." Vaughn said.

"What can I tell you. People in the Wizarding World have a laxer outlook about things." Teddy said, before leaning in to talk softer. "Also, have either of you improved the Calming Draught?"

Both Slytherins shook their heads. "Not yet. We focused more on the Concentration Potion this past month." Giuliana replied.

"I'm only asking since I think we could find more profit from the Calming Draught than the Concentration Potion." Teddy said.

"Really? Why? Everyone wants to do well in school."

"Sure, but people also want to relax."

Vaughn nodded along, understanding what Teddy was getting at. Giuliana was still confused. "Why? People at Hogwarts aren't prone to hysterics."

"Not to actually calm down people, but to just relax. Take a load off." Vaughn said.

"I don't understand." Giuliana continued.

"Look, it'll make more sense if you make the potion properly and it turns out the way I think it will. Then we can all use it together and you'll see."

"We have to actually be able to make it first."

"And that's where I had another idea! Your families are ancient Witches and Wizards, and you have massive mansions, right? Don't you have libraries you can just search for this info in and find an easier way to make the potion?"

Both Slytherins laughed. "We already thought of that." Giuliana explained. "I'm off to visit family in Italy for Christmas and I'll look around to see what I can find."

The conversation then went off into discussing their holiday plans. Vaughn found it enjoyable sitting amongst friends, his social group expanding thanks to Teddy. He was fitting in well and most of the tension was gone between Giuliana and him. Not that Teddy had ever instigated it. After finishing her tea, Giuliana paid for it and left to do some last-minute Christmas shopping for some cousins. Now just the two boys, Teddy confessed something.

"You know that idea bout searching the family libraries? That actually wasn't my idea."

"What?" Vaughn asked, shocked.

"It was actually Megan's."

"Y-You told her?"

"I did, I'm sorry," Teddy assured, "But it was the only way I could spend the day with you two."

"But you promised!" Vaughn said, feeling childish for saying that but also equally betrayed.

"I know I did. I'm so sorry, I really am. But we can trust Megan. She won't say anything."

Vaughn grew quiet as a realization hit him. "Does she want to join P.A.C.?" he asked.

"No, not really. It was just a suggestion she threw out. Thought it was a good idea and I'd sound smart for suggesting it."

Vaughn chuckled at that. "I already think you're smart. You told us to trust you with the selling and you did a great job today."

"Ha! Thank you, but I'm not the smart one who brewed the potions."

Vaughn felt flattered and unsure of what to say to that. Luckily, Teddy continued speaking.

"I hope I didn't mess things up for you. How many potions do you guys still have left over?"

"Oh, plenty." Vaughn assured him. "But we keep them with the potion sets we use."

"Really?"

"They're in a safe place that isn't our bedrooms. We wouldn't want a Prefect finding them."

"True."

"And thanks for telling me about Megan. It's not a good idea to keep secret with what we're doing."

"True. Though please don't tell Giuliana yet. Feels like she's starting to like me and I don't want to muck that up."

Vaughn laughed before replying, "Sure." They continued to talk for a while as they finished their tea. Their conversations weren't even about the Club, drifting from things happening around Hogwarts, their thoughts on classes, and even their home lives. Vaughn didn't follow a lot of what Teddy was saying about his life in the Muggle World, but it was fascinating to hear about how they lived.

"Can I write to you over the break?" Vaughn asked, before feeling embarrassed. "You know, about my research and what not?"

"You can, though I'd be happy to hear about the "what not" too." Teddy joked.

There were some smiles between the two boys as Vaughn felt a blush creeping up his neck. Teddy actually looked a bit flushed too when Vaughn looked at him. But perhaps the most embarrassing and mortifying thing was the sudden appearance of the mistletoe wielding cherub above them.

At the table next to them was a Sixth Year Slytherin, Peregrine Derrick, and his Ravenclaw girlfriend. Both of them noticed the cherub and giggled. "Hey, Vaughn," Peregrine teased while pointing to the cherub. "They only do that when people are in love!"

Both of the younger boys laughed and tried to swat away the cherub. Teddy made jokes in reaction to it and smoothed things over, but no matter what they did, the cherub wouldn't leave. Eventually, both boys threw down some Galleons for the tea and bolted from the shop, laughing between themselves once they were outside.

_'They only do that when people are in love?'_ Vaughn thought, butterflies erupting in his stomach. A smile didn't leave his face for the rest of the day.

* * *

_**For Hogsmeade, I used a map designed by Prior Incantato Resurgence, posted on QuillNParchment's Profile. It is the most detailed one that I found and says that it is a "combination of book, movie, Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Pottermore, and the LEGO games." While I am keeping things as close as possible to canon (the books), I like this version as it actually looks like a Village and has room for the residential area of Hogsmeade. If anyone has an "official" version of Hogsmeade, please let me know and I can adjust the story to fit that.**_

_**We really don't know what Witches and Wizards from rich families do. Looking directly at you Lucius Malfoy. What exactly is his job? It mainly just seems to be stalking the halls of the Ministry and serving the whims of his two masters: Voldemort and his son. **_

_**He isn't even on the Wizengamot, which seems like the occupation a rich Witches and Wizards would aspire to. The Wizengamot seems to carry a high amount of prestige and it would seem easy for political connections to get someone appointed to it. We know nothing about how someone gets on it other than the Minister of Magic plays a role, and with someone like Cornelius Fudge running the show, it seems obvious that political lackeys and sycophants would find themselves appointed. No law experience even seems required for it anyways. **_

_**But I'm getting ahead of myself. There will be a longer rant on the Wizengamot and the Wizarding World's law enforcement in future chapters when they become integral to the story. **_


	8. Holiday Gifts and Cheer

**Chapter VIII: Holiday Gifts and Cheer**

The Cumano Manse was thirty acres of enchanted land, most of it grassy and hilled. Located in Wales, the two-story manse worked well for the three-member Cumano family. In the mornings, dew that was enchanted with magic would glistens the colors of the rainbow on a cloudless day.

The home was rather simple but held a posh elegance that invoked the family's roots in Italy. The two floors were well furnished and filled with magical artifacts – all carefully maintained and set to appropriate decorate the home. The entire first floor was designed to entertain and impress guest, but the second floor belonged completely to the Cumano family. The only ones allowed up there besides the family members were invited guests and their competent if somewhat wretched house-elf. As an act of charity, the Cumano had furnished their house-elf, Muddy, with a large extra closet space to call his room.

The home had all the necessary enchantments to insure Muggles never got close or walked onto the land, but those enchantments were never rarely necessary. The Welsh were by nature weary of foreigners and had no desire to get to know the family. This suited the Cumano family fine and they filled their land with magical artifacts, most which were vital to her parents' scholarly pursuits.

Giuliana wished she was back there, rather than with her large, boisterous, and just plain odd extended family in Italy.

Cumano Villa was an ancient abode located in Tuscany, but though magic and renovations through the century had been well maintained. The Villa had existed since the Third Century when it was gifted to the Cumano's by their patron, the Roman Emperor Elagabalus. Since then, it was enchanted to prevent Muggles from seeing it, and over the next eighteen hundred years, the Villa had been drastically expanded and now included buildings and room styles that had at one point or another dominated the Italian peninsula in centuries past.

Imposing black marbled Baroque structures contrasted next to the plain cobblestoned Crusade era ones, while High Renaissance buildings towered above them all. At the heart of it all was the remains of the original Villa. Giuliana had only visited that area once when she was younger, but could still vividly remember the magically preserved atrium well with the impluvium's water crystal clear and surrounded by marbled statutes of her ancestors. The structure was supported by Corinthian columns while frescos of mythological scenes decorated the walls around it.

Giuliana had her own room whenever she arrived, though it had been assigned to her when she was just five and would never be able to change it. The room was bearable, but nothing like her one back in Wales. Sure, Cumano Villa was a sight beyond wonder, but home was home. The Villa would never be that.

But right now, what she missed most of all was Muddy's cooking. While the house-elves at the Villa were excellent and cooked excellent meals every day, it never compared to a good home cooked meal. _'What I'd give for that house-elf's Beef Wellington.'_ Giuliana thought as she walked the halls of the Villa. _'Oh, and a nice Hot Pot.'_

Her family wasn't all bad she supposed. Her cousins always had exciting stories. While most of them were homeschooled, a few attended the other Wizarding schools and it was always interesting to hear about their studies. Her cousin Nelo was attending Durmstrang and told plenty of fun stories about the Bulgarian icon Viktor Krum, who was apparently quite nice. Two cousins went to the American school, Ilvermorny, and talked for hours about fascinating nature spells known by the American Indian. Her least favorite of bunch, Paola, attended Beauxbatons and would often mid-conversation start speaking with an accent and then transition into French. When someone would comment on it, Paola would look embarrassed before always replying, with a cheeky smile, "_Mi dispiace, _I didn't even realize! French is just so natural to me, I suppose."

_'Insufferable.'_ Giuliana thought.

With the end of the Holiday and family gathering nearing, the cousins had run out of things to discuss and most had split off to find their own amusements around the Villa. For Giuliana, that meant doing research in the massive twenty-seven floor Cumano family library. A collection of nearly two millennia of knowledge, it was the prized jewel of the family and was housed in a suitably imposing building, the Cumano family's attempt at their own Florence Cathedral.

One of her more eccentric ancestors, upon seeing the finished Cathedral in the 15th Century, had demanded his own version of it at the Villa. Out of pride or whatever feeling, the ancestor had purposely limited the use of magic in the construction of the building, in particular for the massive Dome. Without magic though, the family was unable to replicate the Dome. Unwilling to tear down the remainder of the ornate building – or concede they couldn't accomplish what Muggles could without magic – the ceiling had been redone and the library moved into the building.

"Good morning, Giuliana." A harsh but weathered voice called out.

"Good morning, _bisnonno_." She replied politely, making brief eye contact with her wizened and brightly dressed family member before quickly moving past him. Giuliana was not in the mood to get bogged down in another conversation with her ancient family member.

Ignazio Cumano, the family member in question, was a cantankerous old warlock who served as the Chief Librarian for the Cumano family library. It wasn't an official designated position in the Villa, but more one he had assigned himself and the collective family had gone along with. Ignazio spent all of his time in the library, walking with an equally ancient looking heavy beech wood staff, reading through books in the library and insuring nothing was disturbed. He never left, not even to eat, so the house-elves would leave meals outside for him along with any other items he requested. The elves knew better to go into the library, where if a house-elf touched or attempted to clean anything they'd receive a heavy hit with Ignazio's staff to the head.

He was an utterly unpleasant warlock but everyone called him _bisnonno_ out of respect for their elders. Whose great-grandfather he was, or how old he was, was a bit more unclear.

Instead of walking everywhere, a monumental task, the library had been stocked with broomsticks to make getting around easy. Ignazio had, of course, been infuriated by this and refused to use them. He had at times even threatened to hex anyone using one. Avoiding his eye, Giuliana grabbed one of the brooms and flew off to her destination.

The Potions section of the library took up three full floors along with scattered sections throughout. It was befitting as knowledge in potions was one of the Cumano's claims to fame. The Cumano family's earliest ancestors had immigrated to Italy from Syria, latching onto the new Emperor and his ambitious family. They assisted Elagabalus – as he'd later be known – with shoring up his power base and safety. But Elagabalus's true desire went beyond imperial power.

He wanted to be a woman.

At first, her family's ancestors had used early versions of the Polyjuice potion to achieve the effect, but Elagabalus had wanted it to be permanent. So, her ancestors had supposedly spent years on the potion, but by the time they succeeded, Elagabalus had been assassinated. The potion was lost to time, but supposedly the knowledge of how to make it still existed in the Cumano library.

And if a potion as amazing and no doubt complex as that existed in the library, Giuliana had figured that the instructions for a simple calming could no doubt could be found in the library.

After a week and a half of searching, Giuliana's efforts had been successful. She had managed to find several potions related to Calming Draughts. It was in no way thanks to Ignazio though. His help was sporadic, as Giuliana had discovered when asking him a rather banal question about where the potions section of the library was. He responded instead in a language she didn't understand.

"I'm sorry, _bisnonno_, I don't understand what you've said."

Ignazio huffed and slammed his staff down, causing his body to shake and thick rimmed glasses to almost fall from his aquiline nose. "That state of children today! Running off to your castle and to _learn_ magic, but not learning Akkadian! Do you know how deep the magic of Mesopotamia goes and what you will not know without Akkadian! This is why magic has become so plebeian in quality!"

Giuliana wasn't aware of anyone who spoke Akkadian – or how Ignazio could have learned to speak the language – but learned her lesson about involving her ancient relative.

It wasn't all about potions research though. Giuliana found an immense section on Divination that went beyond anything she had encountered in the British Wizarding World. There were probably things in those books that only the Unspeakables in the Department of Mysteries studied and knew. Unable to take the Divination or Potions books from the library, Giuliana had attempted to use an enchanted quill to copy pages from the books only to be angrily rebuked by Ignazio who disintegrated the copied pages and quill before stalking off, muttering again about children trying to steal knowledge.

Which was why she spent every day in the library now, memorizing the words from divination and potion books. It was more work than she had expected for her Holiday Break, but Giuliana found it enjoyable. Far more so than work from school. It was fun pouring over the old books, finding the works of ancient Witches and Wizards from around the world, offering answers and questions for eager readers.

It was during this time that while standing near the balcony, Giuliana noticed a glow appear a couple stories up. That wasn't necessarily unusual; the library was filled with plenty of artifacts with weird qualities or questionable origins. From the magical, such as a staff belonging to a priestess of Isis or a skull of druid, to the mundane, like a sword supposedly belonging to General Belisarius. But for some reason, this light seemed different, as if when it shown there was a heartbeat to it.

Riding the broom up to the upper floor, Giuliana located the object in question. It was a silver handheld mirror with amethyst stones imbedded into the edges. The mirror was facing downwards, and as she grabbed it, Giuliana took note of three silver figures etched into the back of it. One was the goddess Hecate, the other Apollo, and in the middle was amethyst eyed woman.

_'An oracle perhaps?'_ Giuliana thought. She flipped the mirror over and saw her reflection looking back at her, a few cracks in it. It was a pretty mirror and did not look aged, but otherwise nothing remarkable about it. She was about to put it back down and until vibrated in her hand and began to change.

The mirror began to fix itself.

The cracks vanished, the amethyst ignited again, and the mirror surface began to ripple, as if a pebble had just been dropped into the center of it. The mirror went still and Giuliana was briefly looking at her face again, until the ripples appeared once more. When the effect ended, the ripples and her face were replaced with the number "9." Before Giuliana could question it, the mirror's image shifted again and she was looking at a location she couldn't place.

"What the…" Giuliana asked out loud.

She was looking down a path with towering shelves on both sides. Each level of shelf was filled with crystal orbs, some covered in cobwebs and weathered with age while others looked newly placed. The corridor of shelves was illuminated only by blue flamed candles, providing the area with an otherworldly feel to it.

_...Your Future..._

A voice called out, it's origin apparently the mirror. It did not sound human and was genderless in tone. In shock, Giuliana dropped the mirror, but it didn't shatter or dent. The image vanished and the mirror reflected Giuliana looking up at herself.

"Pick it up."

Ignazio stood at the end of the book row, staff in hand. He did not appear cross though.

"Pick it up."

"I didn't mean to harm it!"

"Pick it up!" Ignazio commanded again, this time slamming his staff down. A burst of magic blasted through the air and caused the floor and shelves to shake. Giuliana complied, standing there nervously as Ignazio walked closer.

"It sings to you." Ignazio continued.

"What? The mirror?!" Giuliana asked.

"It has found its new _Domina_, for the first time in ages." Ignazio continued. "I will not ask what you saw. Not my concern nor am I worthy. But this scrying mirror has deemed you so. Embrace it! Claim it and the power of Divination that comes with it!"

"W-we should tell someone then!"

"No. What will they do, hmm? They will talk in circles and then hide it from the world. No, let it be with you. Let it guide you to what you want."

Giuliana considered that, looking back down at the mirror in her hand. It still only reflected her image and now seemed quite ordinary. "When was the last time it had a master?" she asked.

"Always a _Domina_. And not terribly long ago. The last was in the mid-17th Century."

Giuliana sighed in exasperation. "So what do I do?"

"Scrying mirrors are fickle. You may study them for years and receive nothing for it. But in time, you will learn how to command it."

"I thought I was its master? Shouldn't it just do what I say?"

Ignazio slammed his staff against the marbled floor once more, letting out a huff of anger. "This mirror is not some house-elf that lives to be servile and submissive! This mirror is sentient! It allows one to break the laws of time and space to see things unseen! It demands respect and patience!"

"Well I'm sorry, _bisnonno_. But I'm in school now and already have plenty on my plate." Giuliana replied. She made a move to put the mirror back where she found it but found herself unable to relinquish her grip on it.

"At Beauxbatons?!" Ignazio cried. "You'd rather learn petty magics and how to act like a Veela than study real magic?!"

Giuliana sighed. "I don't attend Beauxbatons, _bisnonno_. That's Paola."

"Which one are you?"

"Giuliana. I attend to Hogwarts."

"Hogwarts! Well… that's better. But only slightly!"

And with that, Ignazio walked away, staff clinking against the marbled floors, muttering about Dumbledore. Giuliana shook her head as he left and then looked back down at the mirror. Trying something Professor Trelawny taught them, Giuliana attempted to will the mirror to reveal the room again but received no response.

_"Breaking the laws of time and space to see things unseen."_ Giuliana thought, her _bisnonno_'s words echoing in her head. It was like a promise out of Beedle the Bard. A promise too good to give up.

When Giuliana left the library that day, she did not leave alone. The scrying mirror was tucked into her robes, safe from notice.

* * *

Beeston was a quiet snowy town just south-west of Nottingham. News Years was upon it, but most of the Christmas lights and decorations were still up and would remain so until after the Holidays. The buildings of Beeston could be called "historic," with Victorian Villas lining many the streets and weathered stone Churches dotting the town. The River Trent ran next to the town, flowing along quickly that night and taking with it small patches of ice and boats that ferried tourists and residents alike up and down it.

In one of Beeston's suburbs, inside a red bricked four-bedroom corner plot house, Teddy Young was finishing up his evening chores of helping his father clean up from dinner. He scraped off the remains of their Christmas dinner, leftovers of crispy Brussel Sprouts and Christmas Pudding from a few days ago, into the sink and flushed them down the drain. He felt immense satisfaction as he turned on the garbage disposal and the Brussel Sprouts were shredded.

"I think they're dead now, Teddy." His father commented. As was his ritual, Mr. Young hand washed every dish and dried them himself. The family had a perfectly good dishwasher in the home, but Mr. Young never used it.

"Just want to be certain." Teddy joked, turning off the disposal and faucet. "Anything else?"

Mr. Young shook his head. "Nothing. Go have some fun."

Teddy cleaned up the last bits of leftovers in the sink and then headed off upstairs. Before he could head up, he was stopped by his mother. "Teddy, that owl is in the backyard again." She said, not looking up from the book she was reading.

"That was quick." Teddy said, a smile coming to his face. _'He wrote back fast.'_

"Is this Megan writing you?" Mrs. Young asked, eyes peering above her book. She was relaxed on their couch, surrounded by all the trappings of a comfortable middle-class house. Cantonese opera played softly in the background and the fireplace was lit and inviting, beckoning one to grab a book and relax by it as Mrs. Young was. Such a carefree evening was beyond Teddy's grandparent's wildest expectation, the kind of living second-generation immigrants like Teddy's parents had acquired through hard work and good ethics as they liked to say.

"No, this will be Vaughn. Remember I told you all about him?"

"Of course I do." Mrs. Young replied, "The rich family?"

"Very rich apparently."

"Is he a good boy though?"

"Good, yeah. A little blind about some stuff, but good."

"Money will do that."

"Mum, I promise he's good. Maybe you'll get to meet him next time we go to Diagon Alley."

"Hmm, it'd be good to judge him for myself."

"Mum!"

After, Teddy went to the backyard, excited to see the large Black owl resting on top of his parent's garden shed. High fire brick colored walls covered the backyard with carefully maintained vines crawling up them; it provided good cover for the comings and goings of the black owl from the Rzhevsky dacha.

"Hey Zorya, got something good for me?" Teddy asked the owl, who hooted back at him and extended his leg. A letter in a black envelope with golden ink was attached. Teddy grabbed it and as he moved the envelope underneath the moonlight, the letters sparkled softly. "Can you wait around till I write back? An hour or so? I promise I'll bring you a treat."

Another hoot that Teddy took to mean an affirmative response. Teddy already knew Zorya wouldn't leave without a letter. This had become a regular routine for them as Vaughn and him were writing often. Besides Megan, Vaughn was the only one that Teddy was in regular contact with from Hogwarts. Megan was easier to speak with as her wizard father and non-magical mother owned a beautiful flat in an expensive part of London so they could talk over the phone anytime. Teddy hadn't communicated with Giuliana at all over the break but he that was what had expected.

_'Hopefully we'll get on better this term. It'll mean a lot to Vaughn.'_ Teddy thought as he took the letter back into the house.

"Oi, magic boy!"

Before stepping back inside, Teddy stopped and looked up to see his seventeen year old sister, Sarah, leaning out of her bedroom window.

"You know, magic boy wasn't good when you came up with it three years ago, and it isn't any better now." Teddy replied.

"I'm not clever enough to think of a better one." Sarah smiled, "And I'm not calling you Wizard! You're a wizard in training. Oh! I can call you Wiz!"

"Oh blimey, please don't."

"Sure thing, Wiz!"

"Sarah!"

They both laughed into the suburban night. "Want to come play some video games?" Sarah offered.

"You're just going to beat me." Teddy replied.

"Nah, you're getting better, I swear it." Sarah lied. Rolling his eyes first, Teddy nodded his head and went back into the house, tucking Vaughn's letter into his pocket. He headed up the stairs and into his sister's room next to them. She was setting up the NES set on the tv in her room. Their parents weren't interested in overhearing the noises of the gaming system and had permitted Sarah to have a small tv in her room to play on.

"You were up late last night." Sarah said. "Saw your light on under the door. What were you doing?"

"Reading for my class. Muggle Studies. Professor Burbage assigned some Holiday reading on non-magical people's practices during Christmas."

Sarah sneered and then scoffed at the class name. "_Muggle_."

Teddy nodded in agreement. It really was a rather nasty term and brought back a host of other insulting terms his family had been called by other non-magical people. "Been keeping our NES in good shape?" Teddy asked, wanting to change the subject.

"_My _NES." Sarah jokingly chided as she grabbed a pair of controllers. "You have your magic and I have my NES and Gameboy. Frankly, I think I'm the real winner here."

"You know I can apparate right? Just vanish and then reappear anywhere that I want?"

Sarah raised her eyebrows. "That right?"

"Theoretically. Yes. Yes, I can."

They both laughed. "When do you learn how to do that?" Sarah asked, handing over the Player 2 controller.

"Not till Sixth year."

"So you're stuck riding a broom? Like a witch?" Sarah asked, imitating their parents in a low voice so they wouldn't hear downstairs. They both laughed again, remembering the memory during their first trip to Diagon Alley. Their Witch guide had explained to the ignorant Young family about broomstick flight and Mr. and Mrs. Young, ignorant of wizard ways, were quite scandalized at the notion that their _son_ would flying around on a broom.

_'Only Witches fly on brooms, right? Teddy is a Wizard!'_ Mr. Young had insisted to a befuddled Witch who didn't understand broomsticks were always attributed to Witches in the non-magical world.

"Yes, just like a Witch."

They played the NES for a while, Sarah beating him at everything before they switched games and she had to carry him through _Contra_. Sarah teased gently about it and Teddy gave as good as he got. It was nice being able to just relax with Sarah. They had been close when he was younger but the knowledge of his magical potential had briefly spoiled their relationship. Sarah had been jealous for the first year of it, but she had come to accept it over time. Sarah herself had a promising future ahead of her without magic and never said anything negative about magic anymore.

His parents for that matter had been mixed on their feelings about the whole thing. Teddy had been an odd child and once it was explained that magic was a reason it quickly answered a lot of unanswered questions about mysterious events in his past. His parents were all for him succeeding and receiving an education in magic but were quite upset he had to attend a boarding school and wouldn't be able to be with them. Teddy wrote every week without fail, but he knew seeing him off at Platform 9 3/4 was always a challenge for them. They had also been furious at the education he was receiving, or lack of one as they perceived it.

"I don't understand. How can they not teach you math?" Mr. Young had asked when he returned from his first term at Hogwats two years ago.

"And why is your History teacher a ghost?" Mrs. Young had continued.

"They have a forest of terrifying creatures next to the school?"

"That spell sounds too dangerous. No, I don't care what safety precautions they have."

"Why don't they offer a language course? Shouldn't you learn another language?"

"They have _what_ in this Great Lake?! And they let students walk around it and swim in it?!"

To his mortification, Teddy's parents had actually written to Headmaster Dumbledore about their many, many concerns after that first term. Dumbledore had sent back a very long and very nice letter that managed to sooth their nerves. Teddy hadn't read it, but it had done enough to calm them down and allowed him to return for a second term. After that, Teddy became a lot more careful about how he phrased things that were happening at Hogwarts.

"Any New Year plans?" Teddy asked her.

"Madge, Patty, and I are heading into Beeston for the parade. Might go a little wild. Only turns 1994 once you know." Sarah said, taking out a whole squad of enemies in Contra while Teddy attempted a third time to jump up a platform. "How about you?"

"Just hanging out with mum and dad."

"Seeing any friends?"

"I think that's too complicated now." Teddy replied. He didn't talk much with his non-magical friends from his old school. None had understood how he got into an exclusive boarding school and going back to them after a term at Hogwarts had been too weird.

Sarah paused the game and gave Teddy a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry, Teddy. Magic seems to come with a cost."

"It does." Teddy confessed. "Don't tell mum and dad I said that though, please."

"Of course. When do I ever tell them anything?" Sarah joked, before turning serious. "But do you like it? Learning magic?"

Teddy nodded his head. "I do. I feel normal at Hogwarts, more than I ever did here."

"Then that's for the best. You do the best you can and live the best life you can." Sarah comforted.

"Are you coming with us to Kings Cross?" Teddy asked.

"Is that even a question? Of course! How often do you get to run through a magical column? Oh, and I suppose see your little brother off to magic school. I suppose that's important too."

Teddy laughed. "Thanks, Big Sis."

They played for a little longer before Teddy couldn't take losing anymore and headed back to his room. Turning on the lights, Teddy looked around it not for the first time and found comfort in how normal it was. Things were easy in the non-magical world, like just being able to turn a switch and have light and not have to worry about a ghost screaming through the building or some enchantment messing with things. Hogwarts, Diagon Alley, and Hogsmeade were all magical and amazing to all senses, but there was something equally magical about the stability of the non-magical suburb. Settling in at his desk, Teddy pulled out the letter from Vaughn and opened it.

Vaughn's handwriting was superb as always. He detailed everything that was happening at his home in perhaps more detail than his family members would care to have people know. It sounded like a lovely home, and Vaughn's parents' good people, but there was a certain coldness that Vaughn attributed to his extended family. Whether he did this intentionally or just thought it normal, Teddy couldn't tell. From what he heard, a lot of the "Pure Blood" families had this dynamic where things seemed quite tense on the home front but they all acted like it was normal. That being said, the Weasley didn't seem to have that dynamic.

But Vaughn, while somewhat blind by his magical upbringing and riches that came with it, was a good guy. There was a guarded kindness to him and though he opened up slowly, Vaughn had shown himself to be quite caring about people and things. He definitely had that ambitious that Slytherin was known for, the Club was evidence enough of that, but he also seemed a bit listless. What did he want from life? Teddy couldn't tell, not that he was in a position to judge. Teddy still wasn't sure what all this magical education was leading himself to. What did he want to do with life post-Hogwarts?

Pushing those doubts aside, he instead focused on something he knew for certain, like how he felt about Vaughn. He wasn't ready to classify it or anything. But in the world of magic, with its potions that could change people's appearances and ability to fly, those feelings didn't feel as unnatural as the non-magical world made them out to be. He didn't know how Vaughn felt, but his gut was usually right about things. And his gut told him two things. The first was that Vaughn felt a similar way about Teddy as he felt for him. The second, that Vaughn was a good guy.

Well, in spite of the drug dealing, which Teddy was guilty of as well. While he didn't fully understand Vaughn and Giuliana's desire to illegally sell the potions – other than rich children being bored – Teddy himself needed the money. He hated having to ask his parents to spend money on magical things they would never see or fully understand. They did enough for him and had been fully accepting when his magical ability became apparent. He wouldn't ask them to support him constantly.

_'Not the best way to start your financial independence.'_ Teddy thought. _'But Witches and Wizards are so blind to so much it's not like anyone will find out.'_

He hoped.

Shaking off the thought, Vaughn finished reading the letter and began to compose his response, excitement burrowing up inside of him as he realized he'd be back at Hogwarts in a few days and soon be able to see Vaughn again.

* * *

_**Hogwarts can't put in like... one math class? I hated math too but being able to multiple and divide seem like useful skills. And the way it appears in the books (or doesn't) I don't imagine many students were rushing off to take Arithmancy.**_

_**Next up: Return to Hogwarts.**_

_**As a general note in case people are wondering, we will not be going month by month for the Third Year. There will be some time skips coming up. I plan to be at Fourth Year by chapter 12 or 13. **_


	9. A New Term, A New Plan

_**Last chapter was pretty backstory heavy so stick with me for this one too. Gotta set up a few more things.**_

_**In case people were curious, I do not plan to doing a month by month thing for Year 3. We'll be wrapping up Year 3 by chapter 12.**_

_**Enjoy!**_

* * *

**Chapter IX: A New Term, A New Plan**

King's Cross Station was filled to the brim with travelers that first week of January. Business people, tourists, families, and students all hurried through the halls and platforms of the station, most reluctantly returning to their normal routines following the Holidays.

With so many people, some of the more unusual travelers were lost in the crowd. But for those who had the moment to take in their surroundings, they might have noticed the unusual number of travelers dressed with pointed hats and robes. All of them were following children pushing carts with luggage and even sometimes owls, cats, and even toads.

Among that unusual crowd was the Young family, though they were better blended with the non-magical crowd. Teddy lead his family through the station, deftly navigating the crowds while pushing his own cart. Sarah was keeping pace while his parents lagged behind, moving slower than their children as normal. Teddy had seen a few of his peers in the Station, but none whom he was friends with. The trip from Beeston to London was a long one, which meant he was usually one of the last students to arrive for the train.

Once they got to the platform, things eased up a bit. With more maneuverability and space, the Young's slowed down and were able to arrive at Platforms 9 and 10 without worry.

"Right, so, remember, just run at it and you'll be fine!" Teddy explained as they stood before the enchanted barrier to Platform 9¾. As they did every time, the rest of his family looked doubtful, assuming this time it wouldn't work properly or perhaps the whole concept of Hogwarts was a fever dream, but still followed suit. All of them held onto Teddy's cart and they ran together at the barrier. Enchanted with powerful non-detection charms, their action went unseen by non-magical people around them and they passed through the enchanted brick column unharmed. Emerging on the other side, the Youngs was greeted by the ruby red Hogwarts Express and Platform 9¾.

Scattered across the Platform were families saying goodbye to each other. Promises to write and expressions of love were flying left and right and Teddy could see a few tears being shed. The Youngs soon joined them with their own goodbyes. Teddy promised to write them all more often and received warm hugs from his parents. His mother reminded him to eat well while his father reminded him to study hard. Sarah and his goodbye quicker but sweet and as emotional.

"Good luck with your Upper Levels." Teddy said as they embraced.

"Good luck with apparating." Sarah joked.

"That's not till Sixth year."

"Then I don't know what to wish you luck on."

Teddy chuckled at that. "How about not getting in trouble?"

"I can do that." Sarah replied with a smile, giving him a quick peck on the cheek for luck.

Teddy's family stayed on the Platform until the Hogwarts Express left, waving to him as he waved back from an open window alongside other students. Once they had left the station, Teddy began to make his way through the train, heading towards where he knew his close friends would be. On his journey, Teddy kept getting stopped by other friends and acquaintances who wanted to catch up. He would always talk and joke with them briefly, always promising to hang out with them soon.

It took twenty-five minutes to move just two train carts and meet up with the intended friend. Megan Jones was sitting inside a compartment alone, the bags of their other friends around her. She was looking out the window at the countryside passing them by. Teddy knocked on the cabin's window pane before entering.

"There you are! I was worried you missed the train!" Megan said, a smile across her face as her hazel eyes lit up.

Teddy threw up his arms. "Got distracted."

"Of course you did, Mr. Popular." Megan lightly teased, leaping up from her seat to hug her best friend.

"Hey!" Teddy laughed, embracing her back.

"You're on your way to being our next Cedric."

Teddy rolled his eyes as they broke apart, taking the seat across from Megan. "Please. You know I'm no good on a broom like him."

"That's for bloody well sure. You make me twitch when I think about a Bludger flying around you."

"And I suppose you run the table on your cousin Gwenog when you play Quidditch, huh?" Teddy joked.

"Gwenog played with us over the Holidays. Clearly, she was holding back, but she still beat all of us cousins bloody." Megan recounted. Megan's magical side of the family had quite a few distinguished members among them, one of them Gwenog Jones, the celebrated Beater for the Welsh all-female Quidditch team, the Holyhead Harpies. Gwenog had been a celebrity at Hogwarts as well, playing as Gryffindor House's Quidditch team Beater. She had helped lead them to victory and helped win them the House Cup in 1986, the last time Gryffindor had won the Hogwarts Quidditch Cup. After school, it was only natural that Gwenog went on to play professionally.

Megan, who opened up slowly but never said a bad thing about anyone, refused to comment to people about Gwenog's supposed temper off the Quidditch pitch.

Their conversation continued as they began chatting about their Holidays. They had spoken to each other every other day on the phone, but the two best friends could find anything to talk about. They had been inseparable since First Year when they had been sorted into their Badger Cub groups. The Badger Cubs was the orientation group for First Year Hufflepuff students, the only House that had one. The First years would be broken down to groups of two or three of and be buddied to upper level Hufflepuffs, usually Fifth or Sixth Years who would be their mentor, helping them find classrooms, navigate the castle, and settle into life at Hogwarts.

As someone from a non-magical background, Teddy had felt lost until he met with his fellow Cubs. Megan had been among his group and, having come from a Half-Blood household with her father's side being magical, she was happy to help him. Since then, Teddy had adjusted well to Hogwarts and expanded his friend group easily with Megan usually the center of his friend group.

"Have you seen the others?" Teddy asked.

"They were all here." Megan said. "Ernie went off to hang out with that Ravenclaw he likes. Haven't seen Susan yet. And Hannah and Justin went looking for the Trolley. They're getting you some droobles too if they find it. And no word on Zacharias yet."

"Good." Teddy said, rolling his eyes.

"He's not that terrible!" Megan chided. "Just a bit… you know…"

"Much?" Megan offered.

"I suppose." Megan agreed. They laughed for a moment, but Megan grew quiet shortly after, looking Teddy over.

"Something on your mind?" Teddy asked.

"Did you run into your friends from Slytherin yet?"

Teddy shook his head. "I don't imagine I will until we're at Hogwarts. They're not a particularly social pair those two."

"They do tend to stick together in class. Are they dating?"

"No." Teddy replied. The response was smooth, without the tension or worry that Teddy felt at such a question.

"Huh, they always seem so tight that you'd think they were. Anyways, did they find a way to fix that potion?"

Immediately Teddy was on edge, jumping from his seat to shut the cabin door. "No, I'm not sure. Maybe Giuliana did."

"Well, you'll be a proper dealer if you get the Calming Draught to work." Megan commented. There wasn't any judgment in her tone. She supported Teddy with what she described as "school shenanigans" and understood from a financial standpoint his reasons for doing it. But he also knew that didn't mean she gave her blanket approval. Not that she'd ever tell anyone. Megan also had a slight interest in it as well.

"Bit a difference though from drugs." Teddy corrected. "These potions don't give you an addiction."

"That's true."

"So, you still want to try it?"

"As long as I don't croak."

"Vaughn knows what he's doing." Teddy assured her, before adding, "Giuliana too."

"Well that settles it. Just tell me where and when then." Megan said. "But I'm only doing this once!"

The conversation ended when Hannah and Justin returned, trolley treats in their arms, and the Hufflepuffs settled into their comfortable ride back to Hogwarts. All the while, Teddy was thinking about Vaughn, hoping his trip back to Hogwarts was enjoyable.

* * *

The feast for the start of Second Term was an extravagance that magic made look easy to pull off. The Great Hall, decorated with House colors and banners, was filled with life and laughter as students met up with friends for the first time since the Holidays. The candles on the Great Hall walls and floating above them shined a bright blue, which when mixed with the snowfall above them shined brilliantly. Above the tables, trays of food from all seasons floated passed eager students who snatched up the items on them.

Vaughn and Giuliana were among the Slytherin's gobbling down the feast. Vaughn's plate was a dissonant collection of food items and so overflowed that one would think he hadn't just spent the last month in the lap of luxury. Sunday roast, _soupe à l'oignon_, cream and spinach, and minced meat pelmeni's weighed down Vaughn's plate as he talked with Giuliana. Unlike his near daily correspondence with Teddy, him and Giuliana owled once a week with several page letters. Most of it was spent complaining about their eccentric extended families, which continued throughout their return to Hogwarts. The topic that interested both of them would take place later, farther from prying ears.

Before the dessert course was served there was a loud tinging on glass and all students looked up to the table to see the Transfiguration Professor, Minerva McGonnell, tapping on his wine glass. Headmaster Albus Dumbledore slowly rose from his seat and the room grew quiet as the Headmaster began to speak.

"Greetings once again, my friends." Dumbledore began, a happy smile on his face. Even from a distance, it appeared as though his eyes were gleaming underneath the half-moon glasses he wore. "And welcome back for the second term at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

Polite clapping followed, even from the Slytherin table. When the clapping died down, Dumbledore continued in his calm tone and ran through a list of reminders and updates to be aware of as the term began. The Headmaster began on a positive note, detailing club activities that were coming up and the addition of a new one club.

"Beginning this term, our illustrious Charms professor, Fillius Flitwick, will be resurrecting Hogwarts' own Frog Choir! Tryouts will begin at the start of next week and all students are welcome to join. If I may add my own observation, it has been far too long since the halls of Hogwarts have rung with the sound of song. The new life of this club is a brilliant idea, and I cannot wait to see how students work with Professor Flitwick to bring this endeavor to fruition."

More clapping followed as Dumbledore motioned for the Charms professor to stand. The half-goblin did so and bowed his head gratefully to the Headmaster and the student body. Meanwhile, Vaughn and Giuliana looked at one another, a flare of Dumbledore bashing upon them.

"Do you think he knew about Lisa?" Vaughn whispered.

"She said her and Professor Flitwick spoke to Dumbledore together, so yes, he knows the club was her idea."

"She wasn't exaggerating?"

"Even Lisa wouldn't lie about a meeting with the Headmaster. And it's just like him to not give credit to anyone who isn't in Gryffindor. Typical."

The Headmaster continued with the term announcements, unaware of the defamation of his reputation. Most of the announcements were met with muted and polite response, but when he listed the dates for upcoming Quidditch matches, the student body began to murmur with anticipation. Slytherin was playing Ravenclaw next week and tensions were already high. Ravenclaw had wiped the floor with Hufflepuff and no one in Slytherin wanted that for their House. The Slytherin team was expected to be practicing every day in preparation.

"Don' worry, boys and girls." Marcus Flint said a few seats down. "We'll hold 'em off and be back to back Champs."

"There wasn't a Quidditch Cup to play for last year." A fellow Seventh Year Slytherin reminded him, her voice annoyed. Vaughn couldn't remember her name, but he remembered hearing Marcus and her had been on a date in Hogsmeade that had gone sour.

"Exactly, I don' think any of us is counting last year. So, it'll be back to back in the years we're counting from!" Flint replied. Some murmurs of agreement with the Captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team and a few rolled eyes. Vaughn couldn't help but think about how much of a troll Flint looked.

Dessert was served, marking the unofficial ending point for the Feast. Once most of desserts had eaten, the younger students were led back to their dorms by their House Prefects, the older students following in their own friend groups afterwards. By the time Vaughn and Giuliana arrived, the Slytherin Common room abuzz. The first week always led to a hectic common room as people adjusted back to their Hogwarts routine, but Vaughn and Giuliana managed to find a quiet spot next to the window looking into the Great Lake.

"So, you said you found it?" Vaughn asked.

"It wasn't easy, but yes." Giuliana replied, eyes blazing with triumphant behind her glasses. "I had to memorize it word for word before writing it down once I left the Villa. My relative is batty and enchanted the Villa so people couldn't 'steal' the knowledge in any part of it."

"That's some security." Vaughn replied. Vaughn's own time searching the Rzhevsky dacha library wasn't much use for a Calming Draught. The Rzhevsky's did however have an extensive collection of books on Alchemy. "We should start brewing soon. I already ordered the base supplies. What else do we need?"

Giuliana ran through the list, masterfully listing the ingredients and their properties and effects to a level that even Professor Snape would be impressed. Or at least, maybe not sneer at her.

"That doesn't sound awful." Teddy commented when she was done.

"Most of it isn't," Giuliana agreed. "But what about the last ingredient?"

They thought through it together, their voices growing softer as some eager First Years ran up to the window, looking for the Squid. The Squid Watch count stood at thirty-four days, rolled over from the last term.

"We could order from Knockturn Alley?" Vaughn proposed once the First Years had left.

"Does Knockturn even do owl deliveries?" Giuliana asked, nerves apparent in her voice from the proposition. Vaughn was nervous as well. Ordering from Diagon Alley was fine, but even the notion of ordering from Knockturn felt as though line was being crossed.

"We can find out. How about I order tomorrow and then next time you can order?"

Giuliana hesitated at that. "That's not something I'm not comfortable doing. I'll send an owl to J. Pippins instead. Maybe even Dogweed and Deathcap, just to make sure they don't have it."

"Fine, that works. Also, I reckoned we could brew during the Slytherin and Hufflepuff match. The castle will be deserted and we could be done before the match is over."

"You don't want to root against Teddy's team, huh?" Giuliana joked.

"No, I do not." Vaughn replied while Giuliana laughed. That part was actually true. He knew Teddy was excited for the match and Vaughn personally didn't think much of Hufflepuff's odds against Slytherin. Marcus Flint was brutal on the pitch and that attitude influenced his Captain style. The other Slytherin team players followed his lead.

"Well, at least it'll be quiet around Hogwarts." Giuliana noted. "And hopefully, things will go well. I have a good feeling though."

"Did you have a premonition about it?" Vaughn teased.

"Actually, about that, I-" Giuliana began, before stopping. She looked in thought, not meeting Vaughn's gaze, but finally spoke again. "Never mind, I just have a good feeling."

"Did you actually have some sort of foresight into it?" Vaughn asked.

"Don't be ridiculous." Giuliana replied, changing the topic quickly. Vaughn let it go, confused but figuring Giuliana would tell him if anything was up eventually. All the while, he was unaware that in the bottom of Giuliana's luggage was a silver mirror was glowing, calling out to its _Domina_.

* * *

_**As far as I can remember, **_**The Sorcerer's Stone**_** doesn't state who won the Hogwarts Quidditch Cup in Harry's first year. The HP wiki says that either Ravenclaw or Slytherin won that year, and because Slytherin was set to win the House Cup, I'm going with the theory that they won the Quidditch Cup. **_

_**Gwenog Jones is listed as a possible relation of of Megan Jones. Since Megan is never mentioned in the series after book 1, why not give her some more backstory and family history?**_

_**Up Next: The Calming Draught**_


	10. A Calming Draught for All Calming Needs

_**This chapter was written rather fast so I hope everyone enjoys! Please review because I would love to hear everyones thoughts and criticism of the story.**_

* * *

**Chapter X: A Calming Draught for All Your Calming Needs**

January weather at Hogwarts was a dreary affair. The initial excitement of winter snow had long since passed, and now the students, stuck inside the castle walls, dreamed of the coming spring or, at the very least, a cloudless, sunny day.

The only buzz arounds school was the Slytherin and Ravenclaw Quidditch match, which ended in a victory for the Slytherins. The match was set to be a Ravenclaw victory until the Slytherin beaters, Peregrine Derrick and Lucian Bole, got creative with the Bludger and helped clear the way for the Chasers to rack up some points. When Slytherin had closed enough of the gap, Draco Malfoy had zoomed by on his Nimbus 2001 and caught the Snitch, propelling the team to a narrow win. The victory set the team up for the Championship if they could defeat Hufflepuff by a sizable margin. Celebrations in the Slytherin Common Room lasted until midnight and there were still sore feelings amongst the Ravenclaws, who felt Slytherin's Beaters had played loose with the rules.

"They criticize no matter what!" Marcus had proselytized in the Common Room the night of their victory, his audience eager for a sermon about Slytherin pride. "It's a Slytherin's lot in life to deal with criticism, only cause we have what they don't and never will have!"

Slytherin's victory and the ensuing jubilation was nothing compared to the happiness Vaughn and Giuliana had felt after the match. It was a happiness that few would know about, all thanks to their crowning accomplishment to date.

They had succeeded in creating the Calming Draught.

It had been a nerve wracking affair, but thanks to the new instructions Giuliana had found, the process was rather simple. They had managed to distill enough to fit into eleven raindrop shaped phials. The potion itself was a bright yellow color and warm to the touch, heating through the phial it was stored it. It did not burn or feel uncomfortable to the touch, and Vaughn thought it was like using a warming charm on a cold day.

It was with that exciting news of their success that they were able to brighten Teddy's mood, who like many, was a bit miffed with Slytherin's attitude towards their victory and the overall muggy weather.

"I knew you both could do it!" Teddy said, pulling both of them into a hug, which they gingerly returned. "So, when do we give it a go?"

"How about this Friday?" Vaughn proposed. "We go during Dinner. People will be distracted on Fridays anyways and won't give us a second look. And we've talked about it, and we want to try it in our potion's lab. It's where we first tried the concentration potion, so why break tradition?"

"So I'll get to see it?" Teddy asked excited.

"You won't get to see all the secrets," Giuliana cautioned, "but you can at least see where the brewing happens."

"Brilliant! I'll let Megan know too. I'll swear her to secrecy if that makes you both feel better, not that she'd have to be."

Vaughn had been expecting this and had spent time already preparing Giuliana for it. She had been upset about it, but Giuliana was willing to put her trust in Vaughn who trusted Teddy, and who in turn trusted Megan. The fact that Megan was also going to pay for the potion helped as well.

"Mind if we use the Unbreakable Vow for her?" Giuliana said, attempting humor but sounding semi-serious. Teddy, cool as ever, laughed and played into it.

Friday came before long and the group met down on the First Floor of the castle. The two Hufflepuffs followed the Slytherin's eagerly up to the Seventh Floor, while Giuliana eyed them wearily. "It'll be fine." Vaughn whispered to her.

"I'm sure it will. But this is a big step, and a lot of trust we're giving them." Giuliana whispered back. Megan and Teddy were whispering excitedly between themselves, staying close to the Slytherins as they passed by nosey portraits asking where they were going. When they arrived at the Seventh Floor, Giuliana stopped them at the corridor leading into it.

"You two need to wait here while we get things set up." Giuliana commanded. Both Hufflepuffs looked confused.

"What could you possibly need to set up?" Teddy asked.

"Just wait here with me while Vaughn goes and does it." Giuliana replied, nodding for Vaughn to head in. Shrugging, Vaughn complied and ran down the hallway, stopping when he came to the hallway that contained the ballet dancing trolls tapestry and an empty wall. Performing the now familiar routine, Vaughn ran back and forth in front of the empty wall three times, willing the room into existence. After the third pass by, the doors began to materialize.

With the door fully formed, Vaughn returned to the staircase and beckoned for everyone to follow down the hallway. The Hufflepuffs, still confused and looking a bit uneasy, followed him and Giuliana through the ornate door.

That uneasiness disappeared when they entered, jaws dropping in shock at the set up. The room was much the same as it was when Giuliana and Vaughn found it: mirrored walled, clean, and supported by half columns. The potions setup had expanded by a fair deal as the Slytherin's began to leave more and more supplies behind, making the room look more like a proper potions lab. A bunch of pots with planets stood off to the side, labelled with different ingredients they were growing. There were also glass containers filled with different ingredients. Next to the large table of ingredients was a box that Vaughn had deemed the storage location of their profits. At the moment it was filled more with cobwebs than Galleons, though the Slytherins were hopefully they could turn it around that term.

"This is incredible!" Teddy breathed.

"Much better place to brew than the dingy dungeons Professor Snape teaches us in." Megan commented. "Is all this potions equipment your stuff?"

"No, it was all here, waiting for us." Vaughn replied.

Megan huffed and seemed to contemplate that. "Must be a storage place for school stuff." She said.

"Seems too well hidden to be that. But who knows. This is Hogwarts after all."

As the Hufflepuffs looked around the area, Vaughn and Giuliana pulled out the container of Calming Draught phials. Vaughn pulled out four bottles and brought it over to the Hufflepuffs, who looked at the potion curiously. "So… what is in this?" Megan asked.

"Quite a few ingredients." Vaughn explained, handing a phial to each person. "Peppermint, Lavender, Moonstone, and ginger root are the bases. The more exotic ones are bits of crocodile heart and three drops of belladonna."

"Isn't belladonna dangerous?" Megan asked.

"If you use too much or too little. Don't worry, measurements are our specialty."

"Well… with all those ingredients, you two must have plenty of allowance." Teddy joked.

"It really isn't as much as you think. We haven't even bought in bulk yet. By the way, do you two have your share?"

Both Hufflepuffs handed over the money and Vaughn was happily able to drop their money into the burgeoning money box. Vaughn returned and raised his phial up, the others following suit.

"Well, cheers." Vaughn said, and they clinked their phials together before downing them together. The draught went down in one gulp, but tasted far too strongly of peppermint.

"Oh, we're going to have to fix the amount of peppermint." Giuliana grimaced along with the others. Vaughn went off to fetch them some glasses of water from the sink in an attempt to drown out the peppermint taste.

"How long until it starts to work?" Megan asked.

"Don't know. Most of the guides weren't very conclusive about it." Giuliana explained. "But I know it's supposed to sneak up on us if we did it right. We shouldn't even notice until it's happened."

That left the four Third Year students awkwardly standing in a circle with the taste of peppermint still in their mouths. Teddy was there to save the day though and at least start a conversation. "How was everyone's Holiday?" he asked.

Vaughn shrugged. "Fine. We stayed home and had a few family members fly in. Happy to be back at school though."

"Same for me." Giuliana said. "My family can be a lot. My bloody old great-grandfather loved to yell at me in the library when I was looking for this potion."

"Italy in the winter must be pretty though." Teddy offered.

"Oh very. My family no, but Italy and the Villa, yes."

Some supportive laughs followed the joke. "How about you Megan?" Vaughn asked, wanting to be politer to Teddy's friend. He offered her a smile too, which she gladly returned.

"Oh, fine as well. Mum had some time off from work so we went out to the country. Dad made some great food." Megan replied. "And then we visited family in Wales for New Years."

"Megan's cousin is Gwenog!" Teddy blurted out.

"Teddy!" Megan looked rather embarrassed by that statement. She hit him playfully, causing him and her to fall into a giggling fit. Giuliana copied them, surprising herself and everyone there as the giggles turned into full out laughter.

"Do you guys mind if I sit down?" Vaughn asked, feeling very relaxed. As he lowered himself down, it felt as though his body was lighter than it was. The ground beneath him felt like a pillow, cushioning his body as he sat down, a sharp contrast to the ordinarily metallic and cold feeling floors. No one had a problem with sitting and soon joined him in another fit of giggles, laughing at nothing in particular.

"I feel really, really, really good." Megan laughed, laying on her back and looking up at the ceiling. "I think it's working."

"It's definitely working." Teddy replied, moving his limbs as if he was making a snow angel. "I don't know about 'sneaking up' on me, but it certainly feels nice."

"I'm just glad it didn't kill us." Megan said, holding up a hand to the ceiling. She waved it through the air, outlining something that no one else could spot. A comfortable silence fell over them as they became distracted by the euphoria spreading through their bodies. Limbs went lighter, their vision cleared, and all their troubles seemed so far away. It didn't even feel like they were at Hogwarts, but instead in some glass castle from the fairytales, the four of them the only inhabitants of it.

"OK!." Teddy finally shouted, clapping his hands together and raising his body up off the ground. His movements were loose and relaxed, a smile never leaving his face. "If we're going to continue our friendship, I need to ask something, only because I haven't asked before."

"Ominous." Giuliana giggled. She was messing with her glasses, cleaning them slowly against her robes.

"No, no, no nothing nasty! But, Vaughn and Giuliana…" Teddy continued, clapping his hands together again and pointing them towards the two Slytherins. "What do you both think of Harry Potter and his friends?"

Both Slytherins burst out in hysterics, their laugher reverberating around the room. "Because we're Slytherins were' supposed to hate him, huh?" Giuliana asked.

"Do you not?"

Giuliana blinked at the statement, before laughing again. "Ok, fine, I don't like him!"

"Why?"

"I don't know. Harry just… he's not bad but he seems so full of it!" Giuliana said. "He just seems to be so modest that it doesn't' seem real, you know? He's so desperate to appear normal and non-descript that it just goes beyond belief!"

"He's modest and from what I've seen he's perfectly nice." Teddy insisted. "Not very social though. He likes to hang out with Gryffindor crowd and no one else, but he's not like some of the Gryffindors. He's quite nice."

"Exactly! He's not social, at all! Don't you think that it's odd? Doesn't he seem just so… I don't know… _simple_ trying to act like he isn't special?"

"Not at all! I find it rather humble of him. Humility is a good trait. To be quite honest, I don't find it much among the Slytherin."

Neither Slytherin was that offend by the comment, instead, they both laughed and thought about it calmly. "Humility isn't really what you find in our House." Vaughn laughed, before changing his tone to match that of the Sorting Hat. "Or perhaps in Slytherin, you'll make real friends, those cunning folk use any means, to achieve their ends!"

"Bah!" Megan and Teddy shouted in unison, laughing together before Megan continued, "Ok you have a point. But for Slytherin it's different! I find Harry to be alright. And for Hermione Granger, sure she can be a lot. Spouting off answers left and right. But she cares about her education and as someone who is a Half-Blood Witch, I find that admirable. Some bit of me always feels a need to overcompensate, ya know? I think that Hermione will turn out to be one of the greatest witches of our age. And Harry too! If you don't like him, I think it's just jealously, especially on the part of the Slytherin's in our year and below. Truly, they have some rotten folk in your house, no offense to you two. You both seem perfectly lovely,"

"Wow, I disagree with everything you've said… but I feel absolutely fine about it." Giuliana said before giggling. "This stuff really works!" Before long, everyone else was giggling as well.

"Who is the last one in their group? Ron Weasley! He's alright." Vaughn said. "I was partnered with him once in Herbology and we did alright together. He obviously did not like the Slytherin colors on my robes though."

"He's one of the worse ones." Giuliana said. "Really hates Slytherins."

"He's not terrible!" Teddy insisted. "Bit of a jokester. His family is apparently quite accomplished, but that's a Pure-Blood family for you I guess."

Vaughn thought he sensed a joking tone in Teddy's voice. Megan even laughed at the comment and Teddy gave her a knowing smile. He really was quite offended at anything remotely related to Pure-Bloods, Vaughn thought, as he remembered the way he seemed to poke fun at the term. How odd.

"Well my parents say his two older brothers are really accomplished. Bill is off doing something important for the Ministry and Charlie works with dragons. He was supposed to be a big deal too when at Hogwarts as the Gryffindor Seeker."

"Oh, how dashing!" Teddy commented.

"Gwenog said he never dated any girls while he was here. Never heard about a crush either." Megan said voice trailing off, a silent implication in the air.

"He loves his Dragons then." Teddy replied, making both Hufflepuff's giggle. Vaughn began to laugh as well, suddenly feeling a connection to the Dragon Tamer Weasley as Teddy continued. "The rest of the family seems like a good sort, even the twins who always stir up trouble."

"Too bad about Ginny getting abducted by a Basilisk and all that." Giuliana commented.

"Could you imagine getting carried away by a Basilisk?" Vaughn breathed.

"H-how would it even do that?!" Giuliana asked, face scrunched in confusion. "I mean, it's a snake! It doesn't have arms. Wouldn't she have to ride it?"

"What?!" Teddy shouted, laughing already.

"She would!" Megan said, eyes going wide as she pointed at Giuliana in agreement. "Bloody hell, it's that or she'd have to be carried in its jaw!"

"Yee-haw, Snakey!" Teddy shouted, jumping up and moving his body like he was riding a bull like an American Cowboy. Everyone, even the sheltered Vaughn and Giuliana, got the reference and all burst out laughing.

"Hey, everyone. I want to say something." Giuliana said. "I'm so sorry for coming off like a real priss to you two."

"What! No, you can't worry about that!" Teddy assured her.

"No, no. I have been! It's just… it's just that it's been Vaughn and I for so long and we had our thing going and then we added you Teddy, and now you, Megan that… Megan! Oh, Megan you're lovely!"

"Aww, Giuliana" Megan said, crawling across the floor to her and taking her hand. "I don't even know you but I'm glad we're becoming friends."

"Really?"

Megan nodded her head and then looked to Vaughn. "And you too, Vaughn. I get it though, Giuliana. I was actually feeling jealous about you two getting close with Teddy. But now, now I can tell what great friends you all are!"

"And we want you to be our friend too!" Giuliana insisted and the two girls hugged.

"Guys…" Vaughn said slowly. "This feels really, really, _really_ nice."

Everyone practically shouted their agreement. The conversation continued on, their topics of conversation random and not always linked. Eventually, the effects of the Calming Draught began to wear off. It happened slowly though, like a slow descent on a broomstick back to earth. Vaughn's limbs started to feel heavier again, his overconfidence began to fade, and the ground beneath him began to feel hard again.

The hangover was not as strong as it was for the concentration potion. There was a slight pain in the front of Vaughn's forehead but nothing that a cool rag wouldn't fix. He looked around at the others and noticed that everyone else seemed to be coming out of it as well. Getting up off the ground, Vaughn walked over to the hourglass placed on the counter, taking note of the time that had lapsed.

"It lasted for an hour and a quarter." He commented. "Not a bad time frame."

"That was probably one of the most pleasant hours I've spent doing something." Giuliana said, rubbing her temples. Everyone seemed to agree. Vaughn personally felt a strong desire to try another phial of it, just to keep the experience going. Only the promise of money and customers stopped him from wasting the supply.

"Well it's definitely worth the price and I can fully endorse it." Teddy smiled.

"We are going to make so much money off of this." Vaughn said, to the agreement of everyone. As they packed up their things and left, still talking about the wondrous sensations they had just felt, no one noticed Vaughn slipping a phial of the Calming Draught into his robes.

* * *

_**We have a new potion! **_

_**Next chapter will be a time jump to Easter at Hogwarts. Anyone remember what's happening around that time?**_


	11. A Blossoming Affair

_**This will be the final chapter for Year 3. After this we'll be doing a time jump to start of Year 4. Let's get to it!**_

* * *

**Chapter XI: A Blossoming Affair**

Compared to the excitement of their first two years, the Third Years found their second term to be rather dull. The months passed and the students settled into the regimented educational mold that many thought Hogwarts would enforce when they first arrived. Classes proceeded normally and without much drama, perhaps sadly so. The only sources of school gossip were Quidditch, the Buckbeak Incident, and Sirius Black.

The Azkaban escapee had snuck back into the school and even made it into the Gryffindor common room in February. Professor McGonnell had been furious and Dumbledore had even placed security trolls in front of the Gryffindor Common Room for added security. It was a move that some non-Gryffindor students, namely Slytherins, took issue with.

"I guess the rest of us can just bugger off, huh?" Some Slytherin's complained loudly in the Common Room. "A murderer on the loose in Hogwarts but only the lions get protection!"

"Be grateful it's not you Black's hunting. I heard he killed thirty muggles!"

"Only thirty? Doesn't sound that dangerous." Another sneered. "It's just muggles."

Since then, things had been quiet on the Black front. The other news around school was the Buckbeak Trial. The Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures, set to meet in April, had moved up the hearing to February and found Buckbeak too dangerous to live. The only people happy about this seemed to be Draco Malfoy and his cronies.

"Father got them to move the date up, of course. It doesn't do anyone any good to delay things and let that _beast_ stay on the grounds, chained up or not." Draco relayed to a group of fellow Slytherins. "Father set them straight about things and made them see the beast couldn't be left to live. That fool Hagrid tried his best to fool the Committee. He even cried! Crocodile tears, of course, and my father showed them that and they convicted in record time! The beast is going to have its head lopped off in June!"

It was a fact that Draco was so proud of that months later he was still bragging about it. That bragging eventually went too far when Hermione Granger, known usually for a calm demeanor, snapped and punched Malfoy in the face. Not a single one of them would admit it about a Gryffindor, but many of the older Slytherins were rather impressed with Granger. While the younger Slytherins didn't mind him, Draco had no friends among the older students in the House.

But those two incidents paled in comparison to the awaited Slytherin versus Gryffindor Match for the Inter-House Quidditch Cup. Slytherin was determined to hold its title and Gryffindor, having not won the House cup since the early 1980s, was eager for a win. Tensions were high and tempers were flaring every day. Fights between the houses broke out in the hallways, and even the Bloody Baron and Nearly Headless Nick were getting into the fray.

Vaughn had been subject to too many jeers from Gryffindors to count. Elsewhere, Giuliana had a nasty run in with a Seventh Year Gryffindor who shouted awful things about her and Slytherin before threatening to hex her.

"They're just so awful!" Giuliana had cried to Vaughn, who held her glasses while she wiped away tears.

"They're just bullies, the lot of them." Vaughn tried to comfort.

"All its doing is making me care about the bloody match! If Slytherin loses, do you have any idea how bad it'll get? How bad they'll be!?"

Teddy was sympathetic. The friendship between the three of them had grown over the months and he hated the way they felt alienated from the school. Both Slytherins found it a bit bizarre that a muggle born wizard worried about them being alienated, but it was nice to see a friend who cared. Even Megan had become somewhat of a friend and would spend an afternoon with them every now and then.

Beyond just the growth of their friendship, the P.A.C. was flourishing as well. The Calming Draught was a success, all thanks to Teddy. He was one of those people Vaughn was jealous of: Easily able to make friends and find ways to connect with others, a skill that always escaped Vaughn. With that natural gift, Teddy was bringing in money from eager Seventh Years looking to escape some of the stress of the upcoming N.E.W.T.s.

Demand for the Concentration Potion's was nowhere near as high as the Calming Draughts. While it helped people focus and complete work, it didn't drastically improve people's ability to retain information. Nor would it be effective during the upcoming Finals, O.W.L.s, and N.E.W.T.s, which always had anti-cheating charms in place. The potion still had a dedicated group of users and had expanded to include Sixth and Fifth Years now, but it was also used heavily by the P.A.C. members to assist with their own work.

"If we could just get our hands on some dragon claw powder or dragon blood, maybe we could tinker with the potion and help with retaining information." Vaughn said. "Probably help with getting around the anti-cheating charms."

"Why? I thought these potions were supposed to be a way to help and relax, not to cheat." Teddy had asked, looking up from his book. The two of them had taken to spending time together without the girls. With spring in bloom, they usually spent their time out near the Lake as did many other students.

"They're not. This is more about a challenge." Vaughn had replied, scribbling down more thoughts in his now heavily used diary. "Dragon parts have all sorts of use for boosting human capabilities. It'd be fun to see how they work with our potion."

"Well if there's anyone who could pull it off, I know it's you." Teddy had said, before reaching over and grabbing him by the shoulder and offering a supportive shake. It was an intimate touch, not the first time he had done this, and Vaughn blushed in response.

"Intimate" was a good way to describe his and Teddy's growing relationship, though he would never mention it to anyone. The two of them spent almost as much time together as him and Giuliana did. Since Giuliana was now a part of the Frog Choir with Lisa, that left him with more free time for Teddy, who, despite all of his friends, still found time for him. Teddy was happy to do most of the talking between the two of them and was always happy to listen to Vaughn talk about subjects Vaughn assumed he found boring.

"I don't find Arithmancy boring." Teddy had laughed when Vaughn apologized for going on a ten minute rant about the number eight and the power it supposedly held. "I wish I was better at theoretical magic like that."

"I think it's my favorite elective." Vaughn had replied.

"Have you ever considered taking Muggle Studies?" Teddy asked. Vaughn almost laughed until he could tell Teddy was serious.

"I actually hadn't." Vaughn said, trying to sound respectful.

"Why not?"

"I don't know. I just don't think I'll have much interaction with muggles. Doesn't seem like a useful class."

"Hey! I'm a non-magical person and you interact with me, all the time. Do you not want to anymore in the future?"

"What? Of course not! I love…. I mean, I enjoy spending time with you."

Teddy gave him a wink. "Well I love spending time with you. And think about how much more time we could spend together if you took Muggle Studies next year too. Who knows, you might learn a fun thing or two you can shock your Pure-Blood family with."

Vaughn laughed, though it was a weird sound and not at all like how he normally laughed. The use of "love" by Teddy had thrown him off. Face red, Vaughn promised to think about it. After a month of thinking, Vaughn was signed up for Muggle Studies the next year, dropping Care for Magical Creatures. This was met with much shock by his fellow Slytherins, including Giuliana who was also dropping Magical Creatures to take Study of Ancient Runes. She was sticking with Divination though, just like Vaughn would remain with Arithmancy.

"Teddy really got to you, hmm?" She asked him when she learned the news.

"A little. But who knows, I might learn something useful." Vaughn had replied.

"It's Muggle Studies. You'll probably just learn how to live like a savage."

"Oh hardly."

"No, no, wait! You're going to become a revolutionary, aren't you? You'll be screaming for the Statute of Secrecy to be overturned and make us all serve the Muggles!" Giuliana had joked, making both of them laugh in hysterics.

Teddy was overwhelmed with joy though when he found out. He had congratulated Vaughn and embraced him tightly, lifting him up, and spinning him around in the air as others in the Hallway watched on in confusion. Vaughn was a bit embarrassed by the display, but pleased to make Teddy so happy.

Such physical interactions were becoming common place now. Vaughn had no problem with them. He too had returned these touches, albeit with less frequency than Teddy, but enough to show the Hufflepuff he didn't mind. Vaughn had also felt Teddy's eyes on him often, watching him move and interact with others. Vaughn, aware of this, felt himself go hot in the collar and actually enjoy the attention. Feelings, hard to describe and embarrassing to think about, had formed in him for Teddy.

What to do about them was difficult.

Things came to a head the day of the Gryffindor versus Slytherin Quidditch match. Taking place on the Saturday following Easter, the atmosphere was heavily charged and filled with anticipation. Never had Vaughn heard the Great Hall so loud. Quite literally three quarters of the school was against Slytherin. Members of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw houses had adorned themselves in red and yellow colors, eager to see Slytherin lose. Megan was among the crowd, though apologetic about it.

"Sorry, you two." She had apologized to Vaughn and Giuliana, a Gryffindor scarf wrapped around her neck despite the balmy weather outside. "But I've had family who were in Gryffindor and I got to support them."

"Well you can do that, but I'll be with Slytherin today." Teddy said, giving both Giuliana and Vaughn a supportive nod.

"You two do what you need to. I'll be with Lisa today avoiding the match." Giuliana replied.

"Why? Everyone will be there today!" Teddy protested.

"I'm all Quidditch-ed out for this year." Giuliana shrugged, finishing the last bites of her breakfast and rising to leave. "Enjoy the match." She offered before leaving to find Lisa. Vaughn turned to Teddy, eager to move on.

"So what's the plan for selling today?" He asked. Megan gave the boys a look.

"Selling?" she asked.

Teddy gave her a sheepish look. "Vaughn and I are going to sell some Calming Draught after the match. Help people relax depending on who wins."

Megan gave Vaughn a look. "And you're going along with this?" she asked.

"W-What's wrong with it?" Vaughn offered weakly.

Giving both of them a stern glare, Megan rose from her seat and left them. "Well, good luck with that. And good luck to you, Teddy."

Teddy shook his head at her before sighing when she was out of earshot. "I should have told her we were planning on doing this." Teddy said, taking a sip of his orange juice.

Confused by what Megan was wishing Teddy luck with, but not wanting to asking, Vaughn attempted to comfort him. "Sorry about outing you like that. I didn't tell Giuliana either."

Teddy, raising an eyebrow, gave him a knowing smile. "Really? Well look us being naughty and not telling the girls."

Vaughn's face reddened. "What they won't know won't hurt them."

"Exactly. They'll thank us when then see the money. And, as another plus, we get to spend some time together."

"What about your friends though? They won't be mad?"

"I told you already. They know I'm in with Slytherin for the match. Only for you though. Otherwise I find myself opposed to your house."

Vaughn was quite touched by that and they finished their meal in silence before heading out to the Quidditch Pitch. The stands were already tightly packed when they got there, the crowd shouting for action. Vaughn had never seen it like this and suddenly felt quite exposed in his Slytherin colors. The crowd was overwhelming against his House, but Teddy's presence was a comfort. No one bothered him with Teddy by his side, though Teddy received a few looks from the nearby Slytherin. Teddy just smiled and waved back to them, which most Slytherin's returned with a confused look.

As they waited for the Match to start, a Gryffindor that Vaughn didn't recognize and Eddie Carmichael from Ravenclaw came up and spoke to Teddy, who took them aside and handed each of them a pack. Vaughn pretended not to be paying attention but knew the two boys were some of Teddy's "helpers" who had helped expand the market of their Calming Draught. Vaughn had asked about them in the past, but Teddy insisted he didn't need to know who they were and the helpers didn't know who Giuliana and him were.

"I can handle things if it goes bad. I don't want anything bad happening to you." He had replied. It was a selfless move that Vaughn wasn't sure how to respond to.

Before long, the Match had started. Robes of red and green whooshed by them in a dizzying display of expertise as both Quidditch teams performed at their best. The match was chaotic and Madam Hooch, usually in command, seemed to be losing control of the situation. Commentators Lee Jordan and Seamus Finnigan were also struggling to report clearly on all the action, but their clear bias towards Gryffindor shined through. The fate of the match seemed to be the farthest thing from Teddy's mind though.

"What do you think of Wood?" he asked Vaughn.

"What?" Vaughn replied, tearing his eyes from the match. The score was neck and neck despite the number of penalties Madam Hooch was handing out.

"Oliver Wood. Gryffindor's captain, what do you think of him?"

Mouth agape, Vaughn struggled to come up with a response to the odd question. "He seems like a good fellow."

"I think he's rather attractive." Teddy replied, looking unsure of himself for the first time Vaughn had known him. "What do you think?"

"Um.. I-I don't know. He's a good looking guy, sure."

"Right? I think guys can respect that, you know? Another bloke looking good and all that. Everyone always says that about him no matter how they feel about him. Guess I was just wondering what you thought."

Vaughn's head was spinning as Gryffindor scored again and cries of anger erupted from the Slytherin section, drowned out by the cheers from everyone else. "I suppose so." Vaughn replied, feeling rather uncomfortable. Not by the line of questioning. Vaughn _had_ actually found Oliver Wood to be attractive, but there were other implications that Teddy was getting at that Vaughn dreaded misinterpreting.

Sensing his discomfort, Teddy backtracked. "Sorry, didn't mean to imply anything."

"No, no, you're ok. I don't mind it at all, really."

"Really?"

"Really." Vaughn confirmed, placing a hand on Teddy's arm. Teddy smiled and Vaughn dropped his hand, both of them watching the match in front of them. But as the opposing Beaters Fred Weasley and Lucian Bole battled it out above them, Vaughn was surprised as he felt Teddy take his hand in his.

The move was unnoticed by anyone around them. Teddy and him were in the thick of everyone and attention was on the match. But the world seemed to melt away from Vaughn at that moment. This was a move that, as simple as it was, took them beyond "friendship." The undercurrent between them had now risen up and Vaughn had confirmation of what he had suspected.

He tightened his grip around Teddy's without hesitation. Next to him, Teddy sighed in relief.

The Match progressed with dramatic flair. Madam Hooch was handing out penalties like candy and everyone in the audience was standing, shouting, and reacting to everything. Even the Hogwarts staff, typically more reserved as they sat in their elevated viewing booths, were jumping up and down. Professor McGonnell sounded as though she was on the verge of hexing Madam Hooch when she penalized George Weasley for getting "creative" with a Bludger.

Both Vaughn and Teddy's interest in the Match was gone by that point though. They held hands tightly, standing perfectly still and lost in their own thoughts. When the Match ended in a Gryffindor Victory, Vaughn didn't even feel bad like everyone else around him.

"Let's go." Teddy said, pulling Vaughn along with him out of the stands and through the jeering crowds of Slytherin. Once they were out of them, Teddy let go of Vaughn's hand, much to his displeasure. He followed Teddy out of the Pitch, surprised when Teddy started to lead them back towards the Castle.

"Shouldn't we try to sell?" Vaughn asked, not wanting to do anything of the sort now.

"I have people on that. It'll be fine. We have something else we need to do." He said, leading them farther away from the Quidditch Pitch. Vaughn followed eagerly and as Teddy broke into a run, Vaughn followed suit. Teddy led them back into the Castle and then up the moving staircases. Vaughn, heart racing in anticipation, nearly fell off the edge as it moved beneath him, only to be caught by Teddy who pulled him close to him. They were face to face before they broke apart and kept moving.

Teddy ended up leading them up to the Seventh Floor, stopping in front of where the potion's laboratory was supposed to be. Teddy turned to him, face red from running and nerves.

"I need you to make the door appear." He said.

Without asking why, Vaughn did so and, in doing so, revealed to Teddy how to access the laboratory. Once the doors were fully formed, both boys entered, alone inside and far away from the roaring crowds leaving the Quidditch match. A charged silence enveloped the boys, who stood next to one another. The mirrored walls reflected them, multiplying the pair across the room. Their eyes were only on each other though.

"So…" Teddy began.

"So…" Vaughn replied.

Silence again. It was unbearable and Vaughn, feeling rather brave, opened his mouth to speak.

"I just-"

"So, I wanted-"

Both boys stopped speaking again, laughing between them. "Go ahead." Vaughn said.

"Alright. I wanted to say, I've really liked getting to know you. I… I've noticed you. I've noticed you since First Year when you and Giuliana sat in the front in Charms. And… and... I'm sorry, this is weird."

"No! No not weird at all! I've always noticed you too."

"Oh. That's good." Teddy laughed, looking embarrassed beyond words.

"Of course! And I think you're brilliant!"

"Really?"

"Of course!"

"Well that's good. I think you're brilliant as well." Teddy replied, taking a step closer to him.  
"More than brilliant actually. What you can do with potions is bloody amazing!"

"I… thank you. That means a lot coming from you."

Vaughn wanted to lean in and kiss Teddy. No, he didn't "want" too. It wasn't as simple as that. The desire was too strong for a simple word as "want" to describe it. He _needed_ to kiss Teddy. His entire being seemed to scream that he needed to. Giving into that need, Vaughn stepped forward, their bodies almost pressed together.

Teddy had taken the first risk by holding his hand. Vaughn took the next as he leaned in. Teddy did the same.

And then their lips met.

The kiss was warm and their lips met eagerly. It didn't last long and they pulled away after a few seconds, smiles on both of their faces as they did so.

"I wanted to be somewhere more special than the Quidditch pitch or underneath the seats for this." Teddy breathed.

"Good call." Vaughn replied happily. They held each other in an embrace and kissed once more, this one lasting a little longer. As they broke away, Vaughn felt a bit crestfallen.

"What do we do then?" he asked.

"We can keep it between us for now." Teddy said. "Though Megan knows how I feel about you."

"Really?" Vaughn asked.

"She won't say anything. Not till we're ready. Does Giuliana know?"

"No. I haven't figured out how to tell her."

"Well there's no rush. She'll understand when you're ready to."

Both boys smiled and embraced one another. Vaughn held onto Teddy tightly, feeling so many hidden and unrealized fantasy he ever had coming true at that moment. With the end of the school year upon them, Vaughn could look back with pride over how his year had went and the many accomplishments. But the kiss, that felt like the biggest accomplishment of them all.

And like his other accomplishments, it would be a secret.

* * *

_**Alright! Finally some romance. Hope everything enjoyed and please review with your thoughts. **_

_**Year 4 coming up. **_


	12. The Auror

_**So I've been posting pretty consistently for a month and a half now and haven't received much of a response. I'll keep writing up I think time between updates may increase. **_

* * *

**Chapter XII: The Auror**

"I told ya this would happen! I warned ya and I warned ya and I warned ya, but you lot didn't give a damn, did yeah?"

"Mrs. Padmore, please-"

"And now look what happened! Terrorizing my flock of chickens and spreading his darkness over them! All 'cause you lot wouldn't do nothing! This is your bloody fault that little fiend, that… that… hell spawn is on the loose!"

The "fiend" or "hell spawn" in question was a rather loud rooster named Cluck. He wasn't a friendly looking rooster, sure, but he was nothing dark or extraordinary about him. Not for the first time, William Baird felt a pang of anger over the assignments he had received lately. He was an Auror, not a maid or counselor.

"Ma'am, the Aurors, not 'that lot,' have investigated this. It is a baseless accusation. If there was something serious to consider, we would act."

"Right, because you _lot _always get it right!" Mrs. Padmore continued, practically spitting the words into William face, "We're not deaf up here, you know? We get the _Prophet_. My niece's niece just graduated Hogwarts and there was a Basilisk there! Basilisks at Hogwarts and the mighty Aurors don't even know it? Not surprising since you look yourself like you just got outta school with that soft delicate face of yours! You were probably there when it happened!"

The twenty year-old recently minted Auror disliked that statement. As a muggle born Wizard, William had worked hard to get where he was. "No, I had graduated before that. Ma'am, I'm trying to be respectful, but Aurors and the Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures have checked. The Butterwink farm is not breeding Basilisks."

"That's what they want you to think! Now do your job and investigate them or I'll fix this myself!"

The heavy wooden door was slammed in William face, barely missing the tip of his nose. Sighing in frustration, William left the porch of the Padmore farm and exited out of the cobblestone gate. Looking down the dirt path towards his next destination, the Butterwink farm, William considered Apparating to save time but reconsidered. It was a rather nice August day and it wasn't often he got to visit the country.

'_Might as well enjoy the walk_.' He thought.

As he set off down the country path, William glanced around the small wizarding community just adjacent to a muggle one. This wizarding community in Somerset was established in the early 1970s during a period when the Ministry was encouraging Witches and Wizards to go into farming. Its goal was to help support the Wizarding community and lessen their reliance upon the Muggle world. The attempt was a mild success, but not enough to achieve the Ministry's desired effect. Before long, a new Minister was in power and the effort was abandoned.

The community was quaint though, if one was into that sort of thing. Farming never had much of an appeal to William, who dreamed of expensive homes with good servants and a good reputation to follow him. So far, that dream was far away. Dealing with backwoods farmers and baseless claims of Basilisks didn't make for good stories to tell at an elegant table with the Wizarding World's elite.

Just like Mrs. Padmore, the neighbor, Mrs. Butterwink, was just as old and just as argumentative. William was greeted at the door by an elderly woman with deep set blue eyes that blazed with fury when William told her about his purpose there.

"That old hag thinks me a Dark Witch!" Mrs. Butterwink shouted, completely unfazed by William's title of Auror, "Nothing dark about me or a drop of dark magic in my family! She's one to talk though! Know why she's all alone up in that cottage? She got no kin left!"

"Well she has nieces." William muttered.

"No, I mean real kin! Her husband's been dead for almost twenty years and her children – Ha, her children! Her eldest daughter blew herself up, thought she was real smart and better than us! Now she's in pieces! And her youngest, the little beastie, ran off with some Death Eater who promised he'd make her something special. She's in Azkaban now, waiting on the Kiss. Good riddance!"

William nodded his head appreciatively as if he just learned something new. But of course, William had done his homework and knew everything there was to know about these two families before Apparating to this Wizarding enclave. Personally, from reviewing the notes about Mrs. Padmore's daughter, William thought there was evidence to show she might have been under the Imperius Curse, but the then High Inquisitor Bartemius Crouch was ruthless and rather unforgiving. Butterwink, much like his current coworkers, probably didn't care to hear his opinions on the matter since she was still ranting.

"Maybe she's stirring up something dark and nasty!" Mrs. Butterwink offered. "She's trying to blame me so no one looks at her!"

"Ma'am, if you don't mind, I would like to explore the grounds, just to check."

"Check all you want but you won't find anything! How many times can she do this? Maybe a night in Azkaban will sort her out!"

William didn't think it a bad idea but said nothing. He left The Butterwink porch and began to search the grounds, of course finding nothing. Testing for Basilisk breeding was near impossible anyway. Breeding them required putting a chicken egg beneath a toad and waiting for it to hatch, so all one had to do to avoid detection was remove the toad and no one was the wiser. Still, there were a few spells William could use to figure out if Dark Magic was being used. Common sense worked as well. Dark Magic left something in the air that people, even Muggles, could detect.

After twenty minutes of searching and trying to look busy for appearances, William concluded – just like the previous Aurors had – that there was no evidence of Basilisks, toads, or Dark Magic. All it was were two old neighbors who didn't particularly like one another trying to get a rise out of the other.

_'What a waste.'_ William thought.

He reported his findings to both parties in a professional, detached manner, just as he had been taught. Neither of them was satisfied and cursed the other. Mrs. Padmore even tried to change her story, but Mrs. Butterwink did Mrs. Padmore one better by suggesting Padmore was breeding Dementors. William didn't dignify such a ridiculous proposal with an answer.

As soon as he was free, William Apparated back to the Ministry of Magic, letting out a disgruntled moan when he arrived. A few of his coworkers in the Auror Office snickered at it, understanding his pain. Most of them were chasing down ridiculous leads at the moment too.

"Find a Basilisk?" one of his coworkers teased.

William rolled his eyes. "Just some batty old women like Munson did when he visited." William replied, sitting down at his desk. Unlike every other desk in the office, William's was perfectly neat and organized. The only personal effect was a framed photo of him and his school friends in their Seventh Year, his appearance brand new following his transition. He would look at the moving photo nostalgically sometimes, remembering all the dreams he had as he stood at the cusp of adulthood. Dreams of chasing down dark wizards and rising in fame in the eyes of the public and infamy in the hearts of all criminals seemed so… unsuitable now.

Those dreams had been silly and childish, and William kicked himself for not realizing how much the Wizarding World had changed. These days, the majority of Aurors were chasing down petty criminals rather than keeping people safe from Dark Wizards. The Wizarding War was over, all the loose ends tied up and actual Dark Witches and Wizards were a rare commodity now. Aurors had been morphed into meter maids, assigned to look threatening and assure the British Wizarding World that things were ok.

Or that was the role until the Dark Mark made its appearance over the Quidditch World Cup.

The public attack by remnant Death Eaters was a sign that Dark Magic was not gone from Britain entirely and Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic, was sent into damage control. Embarrassed on the world stage, Fudge had – in the eyes of some – overcorrected and suddenly had the Aurors spread too thin, investigating every claim no matter how baseless or ridiculous.

Now, with the help of the powerful Wizengamot members most loyal to him, Fudge had strong armed Head Auror Rufus Scrimgeour into giving the _Daily Prophet_ access to the Auror offices. That included having to allow reporters to follow Aurors around and taking photos of them "staying busy" and arresting or investigating anything remotely linked to Dark Magic.

"Peace and control is what we're projecting." Fudge had told the whole Auror Office before the first reporters arrived. "What we do here will go leagues to restores to the Ministry's reputation in Britain and the world over."

The reporters got in the way, but were nice and always had a good story to tell. William knew some if not most of it was a front to get the story, but their energy was a nice change from the norm around the Auror office. The Aurors were all fine people, but the strenuous nature of the job led to a lot of dark humor and sarcasm that became tiring after a while.

Finishing up his report, William stuffed it in with the others and decided to treat himself to an early lunch. He went alone, as he usually did. William had friends in other Ministry Departments, but none would be available at this early of an hour.

The cafeteria, one of several in the Ministry, was empty save for a few people drinking some coffee. Elves were making the rounds, bussing the tables and laying out freshly made lunch items at the counters. Feeling peckish, William grabbed himself a large bowl of lamb stew and a full loaf of black bread before grabbing a table by himself in the back of the cafeteria.

"Do you require anything else, sir?" a particularly high pitched and skinny house elf asked him.

"Copy of the _Prophet_." William asked. The elf snapped her fingers and a copy of the _Daily Prophet_ materialized in her hands. William took it and dismissed the elf, leafing through the pages to spot anything interesting. Nothing but talk about the Dark Mark and Fudge promising to hunt down the perpetrators.

_'Fudge has the _Prophet_ on a leash.'_ William thought, not for the first time. Not a single article had a bad thing to say about the middling Minister of Magic but most of them were subtlety or outright negative of the beleaguered Barty Crouch.

As he read through the _Prophet_, a group of Ministry employees passed him by and gave respectful nods. William returned the nod, finally adjusted to receiving such deference from his peers. Aurors, even at the young age of twenty, always received that. William had come to expect it, but at first, it was an odd sensation at first, especially coming from Hogwarts.

Hogwarts had not been a bad experience, but as a Muggle-born, the first three years of school had been hard. He had done well in all his classes, but his year had few Muggle-born students in it and his fellow Gryffindor were all from Wizarding backgrounds, making him always feel a few steps behind.

But as he got older, William's friend group expanded beyond Gryffindor. He became great friends with a group of Ravenclaws, who welcomed him with open arms. While not directly, they pushed him to succeeded in school and helped him find his passion for being an Auror. To this day they were still friends. They had even helped him through the early steps of his transition, a difficult period of self-realization that was helped by them.

His fondest memories of the period was working with friends to pick out a boy's name. William had started with names of royalty but felt stupid naming himself after a King. He wanted to feel powerful when the name came off though. His friends were patient and had plenty of suggestions and had no qualms about telling him when a name sounded terrible. All of them had quashed names with a mythological standing.

"We don't want people thinking your pretentious or something." One of his Ravenclaw friends said. "Simple is best."

"No, no. It should be awe inspiring! Make people cower beneath you when they hear your name!"

"I don't know about that." William had replied with a laugh. "I want to be an Auror, not a bully."

"Mate, being "intimidating" isn't a detractor to being a Auror."

In the end, William had gone with a similar but more masculine version of his name. He didn't want to forget his past appearing as a woman fully, or for that matter his past as a Muggle. Not that he spent much time in the Muggle world anymore. His parents were supportive, but William knew his future was in the Wizarding World. An easy break with his Muggle roots best, especially if he was going to achieve anything in the Wizarding World.

Dipping his bread into the stew, William pushed that uncomfortable reality from his head and continued reading the _Prophet_, intrigued by a story about a famous Witch's time with a Yeti family.

* * *

William was in bed until his fireplace took the form his boss and shouted at him to report back to work. Groggy and confused, William left his flat and Floo'd back to the Aurors Office. Most of the office was there already, looking equally as sleepy as they prepared for a night raid. There wasn't a reporter in sight.

These types of raids weren't uncommon. The nature of the job required them and it was always best to never conduct raids during the day. The raids would just stress out bystanders or draw attention to dens of Dark Magic activity. This was William's first night raid, and they had paired him up with a veteran of the office.

"Wish they told us about this beforehand." Earl Davenport, a scruffy looking warlock in his late forties, muttered, "I was having a pleasant dream and I didn't even have to use some sleeping draught."

"Where are we heading to?" William asked.

"Knockturn Alley. Sources have come in that folks are selling off Dark Magic items due fear of increased raids. Most of those folks are probably just collectors, not Dark anything, but you never know. We're heading in, knocking down doors, taking names, and hopefully can trace back some of the offloaded items back to their original owners."

It was explained more thoroughly in a briefing half hour later. Once everyone was prepped, a group of ten Aurors Apparated to Knockturn Alley and began running down the street, busting down doors and waking sleepy shop owners to inform them of the raid. William and Davenport were assigned to a rickety looking potions shop, _Marrow and Mortar_, searching for banned ingredients.

With a nod between them, Davenport made the first move and knocked down the door to the shop. Both Aurors stormed in, wands at the ready. They took in their surroundings of the shop, which smelled awful from all the different potions ingredients on display. Jars of organs, rare plants, and other unidentified items lined the walls of the shop. Above them, the floor boards groaned as someone hurried downstairs to meet them.

"What's the meanin' of this!?" A shrill voice cried out. "I'll blast your head off for breakin' into my store!"

"Aurors, ma'am!" Davenport called out. "Show yourself and submit for inspection!"

The woman appeared from the upstairs, barely dressed and looking a mess. She was old, too old to tell what age, and the remaining hair on her head was clinging tightly to her pale scalp. She looked like a corpse, and certainly smelled like one too.

"Aurors?! You have no right! No right at all!" The old hag screamed. "This an honest business, unlike you lot! Burst into businesses, into homes in the middle of the night like thieves!"

"Ma'am, we have reason to suspect you have been distributing illegal ingredients to suspicious characters. We're conducting a Ministry sanctioned investigation of your-"

"'Reason to suspect'? Not even hard evidence, just suspicion!"

"Ma'am, please sit down behind the counter and allow us to do our job."

"This is my store! My customers trust me to keep up standards! Standards of discretion! And I won't allow people to know I just allowed Aurors to walk in willy nilly with _no_ proof!"

"We don't need hard evidence, ma'am. Our sources are good enough without it. Baird, investigate the back while I continue the questioning."

William moved to the back, ignoring the bickering between the Shopkeeper and Davenport. He pressed his ear to the door, trying to discern any sound. Nothing was heard and using a quick _Alohomora_ spell, William unlocked the door to investigate.

He didn't make it a step into the doorway. Instead, a deluge of feathered creatures flew from the room and slammed into William, sending him stumbling back as he scrambled to figure out the new attackers. Looking around the tightly crowded store, William was shocked to see owls with packages in their talons flying and cawing at everyone, confused and upset. As if the universe was playing a joke, each of the owls was black.

"Baird! Secure these owls!" Davenport cried, releasing a few stunning spells against the owls before they force him into an old black wardrobe. As he slammed into it, a glass container on the top of it wobbled and fell onto him, releasing its contents all over the Auror who shouted in fright.

"Devil's Snare!" Davenport shouted, trying to get his wand up to blast it with a _Lumos Solem._ The magical plant worked quick though and wrapped its tendrils around Davenport's neck and wand arm, preventing the Auror from aiming at the plant. It was a small amount of Devil's Snare, but even a small amount could physically overpower a person.

William moved to help his partner but the Shopkeeper's actions stopped him. Pulling out her wand, the old hag aimed it at the front of the store and shouted a Blasting Curse, causing the storefront to explode out into Knockturn alley. Glass, wood, and store products flew through the air and the impact from the explosion brought William to the ground.

"Fly! Fly my pretties!" The Shopkeeper cried as the owls flew through the new exit, escaping with their packages. William, feeling uneasy, forced himself to his feet and turned to face the Shopkeeper who was now pointing her wand towards him.

_"Expulso!"_

"_Protego_!"

William barely managed to get his protection charm up before the Shopkeeper's curse hit. It bounced off the invisible shield, ricocheting into a table with books on it. The books exploded, sending shreds of paper flying into the air and throwing the Shopkeeper off guard, giving William the chance to disarm her with an _Expelliarmus_.

"You brat!" the Shopkeeper shrieked as her wand went flying across the store, lost in the mess of owls and shattered remains. She raised her hands, long yellowed nails pointing at him like spikes. Her mouth began to move and William realized she was attempting to cast wandless magic. Only the most powerful witches and wizards could perform it successfully, and this woman was certainly not that. Failure meant significant damage to everything around the caster.

Perhaps that was the Shopkeeper's intent.

"_Petrificus Totalus_!" William shouted before she could finish. It was in the nick of time. Sparks had formed at the witch's fingertips, uncontrolled and very dangerous, but they vanished as William's spell hit. It was a simple but effective spell and the Shopkeeper's arms and legs snapped together, her body going slightly blue as if covered in frost. She fell backwards and as she did, William fire an _Incarcerous_ Spell on her. The Shopkeeper's body was wrapped and bound in tight metal chains that clinked hard against the floor as she hit it.

Turning to his partner, William unleashed a powerful _Lumos_ spell and caused the Devil's Snare to relinquish its' grip on Davenport, who was looking blue in the face. The plant life retreated back into the darkness, but William was faster and paralyzed it before it could slink away.

By that point, most of the owls had escaped, but William managed to _Stupefy_ a few stragglers as Davenport regained his breath. "T-thank y-y-you." Davenport sputtered, trying to rise to his feet. Wand still out, William helped him up, looking around the store for any other hidden dangers.

"I couldn't get more owls, I'm sorry." William apologized.

"Never mind that." Davenport said, voice rough and broken sounding. "Merlin's Beard! Ensnared by Devil's Snare like a child! The office will never let me live that down!"

Briefly, William considered offering to lie about it for Davenport, if only to gain some credit with him. He quashed that idea quickly though. He didn't know Davenport well enough to know what he'd think of the idea and William didn't want people in the Auror Office to think he played loose with his reports, no matter how humiliating a fact might be.

Still coughing, Davenport stumbled across the ruined store and stood over the bound and petrified old Shopkeeper. She looked up at him with a blank stare, her eyes focused on nothing in particular. Davenport grunted at her, shaking his head.

"Daft old hag." He said. "Attacking and defying Aurors? It's Azkaban for you for sure."

"But why would she do it? Doesn't seem to make much sense."

"Who bloody well knows? Soddin mess all this is! No doubt this'll be front page for the _Prophet_ tomorrow. Fudge won't be pleased. These raids were supposed to be hush hush."

"It was just one shop in Knockturn Alley. I'm sure they have better things to report on."

"Ah, you're still just a boy." Davenport commented, putting away his wand. "Anyways, you're a boy with a story now. You stopped a dark witch, not bad for your first raid."

"She's hardly a 'dark witch' by any standard." William commented, looking at the Shopkeeper. Some droll was leaking from the side of her mouth, pooling on the ground next to her.

"It's what the papers will call her, and to most that's all that matters. So, run with it. Enjoy it. You earned it." Davenport said. Other Aurors were coming over now and Davenport peeled off to speak with them, leaving William to deal with the mess.

Once the Shopkeeper had been collected and their accounts given, William explored the back of the store. While he doubted this shop had the best records, it at least had to have some receipts or logbooks for tax purpose. The backroom smelled heavily of owls and their droppings, causing William to cast a smell dampening spell. Once the air was less putrid, William moved to the books on the table, glancing through them until he found one that held the stores receipts.

Many of the orders were for oddities and seemed above board. It was so suspicious that William cast a concealment cancelling charm and soon the real receipts were shown.

"Well, you were certainly busy." William muttered, eyes glancing across the pages and taking note of several illegal ingredients being recorded. The receipt didn't give too much information, just the contents of the order, the price, and an area that the ingredients would be delivered. No names or exact addresses. Rather ominously, there were quite a few orders placed for Bloomslang skin and horn of Bicorn, key ingredients in the Polyjuice potion.

Satisfied with the findings, William was about to close up the book when he noticed one address that stood out. An address that brought back a flash of memories and instant suspicion.

_Hogwarts_

* * *

_**Honestly, who even knows if Wizards pay taxes? Never heard it mentioned.**_

_**William will be making more of an appearance in later chapters, so I hope everyone likes him! Reviews are welcome. **_


	13. Thekkur and Wunjo

_**Turns out that Lisa Turpin (Lisa T.) is also a taggable character, so she's been added. Hurray!**_

_**We're back at Hogwarts. Welcome to Year 4! I've decided to add a character from the main trio to the story since I thought it could fit several plot points well, including those from the Goblet of Fire. Hope you enjoy!**_

* * *

**Chapter XIII: Thekkur and Wunjo**

_Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Ti, Do!_

A click of a wand on a wooden composer stand. "Once more!" Squeaked a voice.

_Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Ti, Do!_

Hogwarts' Charms Professor, Filius Flitwick, nodded approvingly, his short stature barely rising above the ancient composer stand with a boar engraved into it. He clicked her wand twice now on the stand. "Faster this time."

_DoReMiFaSolLaTiDo!_

"Magnificent! You've all become so much better at enunciating each part!" Flitwick complimented. He looked over the twenty-one members of the Frog Choir with paternal pride, flipping through his song book without even looking at it. "Now, let's begin with 'Double Trouble' before going onto-"

"Professor! Could we do one more warmup exercise? Some of us haven't shaken off the morning jitters quite yet."

Mumble and some eyes rolls from the other members of the Frog Choir, though most of them were benign. Lisa Turpin, the instigator, didn't seem to mind them and muttered to Giuliana, who was standing next to her, about how the tenors especially needed the extra warm up.

"Very well, Ms. Turpin. Let's do another round of breathing exercise. Remember, backs straight and chest out. Especially you boys in the back! Let your baritone really bellow!"

The Frog Choir began another round of warmups, their voices bouncing off the reflective sound walls of the Choir Room. Located on the Fifth Floor, the choir room was one of the oldest rooms in the Castle. It had been commission by the original patron of the arts at Hogwarts, Rowena Ravenclaw herself, information that had shocked all the Frog Choir members. Rowena was always presented as a dignified, no nonsense scholarly type. The thought of her engaging in singling and theatrics seemed… _wrong_ in some way. But Professor Flitwick happily disabused the students of that notion.

"Rowena considered art to be a testament of education," Flitwick explained. "In that era of backwardness and ignorance, most artistic practices were lost. Rowena hoped that by supporting the arts at Hogwarts it would encourage student expression and, hopefully, the return of lost knowledge."

Results were middling through the centuries, but the rooms always remained, even in the years in which there wasn't enough student interest. But in Giuliana's Fourth Year, the Choir Room was restored to its former glory. It was a large, windowless room with a high vaulted ceiling that echoed the Choir's voices throughout. Often times, Professor Flitwick would leave the door to the choir open and conjuror up a few chairs for any passersby to sit in. Their practices were in the mornings, and it wasn't unusual to see staff sit down and watch for a bit before classes. Even the Headmaster would poke his head in every now and then.

"Simply splendid, all of you." He would complement, eyes twinkling behind his half-moon glasses. "There are few greater joys in life than a good song."

Despite her misgivings about the man, compliments from him, or anyone else who stopped by to listen, always elevated Giuliana's spirit. It surprised even her, but Giuliana had quickly found that the Frog Choir had become one of her favorite parts of school. It was soothing and nice to be involved with something openly. Her fellow choir members were pleasant, though a few eyed the Slytherin sigil on her robes suspiciously or turned their nose up at her. However, the majority were open and quite friendly. Even the two older Gryffindors were kind, something Giuliana wasn't ready for.

But perhaps best of all with the new friend group was access to new gossip. It was fun hearing other opinions about the school and its students besides those parroted amongst the Slytherin. For the professors, everyone loved or respected McGonnell and Flitwick. The new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, ex-Auror Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody, was met with rave reviews. And of course, everyone had varying degrees of dislike for Snape except for Giuliana. Additionally, no one could understand why Binns wasn't sacked.

"Could you even expel a ghost?"

"Maybe you could exorcise him? That sounds unpleasant though."

"If you did that we'd have a ghost rebellion on our hands anyways."

Student rivalries, romances, and friendships among the Houses were fun to hear about too. It even brought to attention things Giuliana never considered. Typically, the rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin took top notice, but Giuliana was picking up that there was some rivalry – albeit more playful – between Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. Students in Ravenclaw were known for their wit, which could sometimes be misconstrued as insult. The gentle and friendly Hufflepuffs, true to nature, kept an open mind but didn't mind pushing back when they felt Ravenclaws were getting too big for their britches.

"We're pleasant by nature, us Hufflepuff," a Sixth Year Hufflepuff said one day, "but we won't stand to be insulted. Sometimes, not often, but when it happens, and things boil over, there's tension. But otherwise, our two houses get along well."

A Fifth Year Ravenclaw just rolled her eyes, but conceded the point. "Fair, we can be snobs sometimes, but it's in good fun. Hufflepuffs are just typically easier to get along with. No offense, but you Slytherin can hold a grudge and Gryffindors don't know a joke if it hit them in their face."

"Oi! You insulting Gryffindor? You think that's funny?" One of the Gryffindor's asked, preparing for a mock fight. They got a playful argument going which made the choir all laugh. Giuliana even join in, surprised to find a Gryffindor humorous, a feat she thought she'd never see.

Overall, the Frog Choir was an excellent time and another great start to Fourth year, a year that three weeks in Giuliana was viewing fondly despite the increased workload. The Triwizard Tournament, the first in centuries, and the amazing Tasks it would bring with it was upon them and promised exciting times. All of her classes were excellent as well. Her two electives, Divination and Ancient Runes, were fascinating and challenging at the same time. She unfortunately was seated next to the Gryffindor, Potter friend, Hermione Granger, but it was a small price to pay for an otherwise interesting subject.

Only two issues remained in her life: Vaughn and that damn mirror.

There was nothing wrong with her and Vaughn per say. Well… at least outwardly. Well… not even "inwardly" if that was a thing. It was probably just her being silly, but things had felt off between the two of them since they arrived a Hogwarts three weeks ago. They had spent the summer writing and taking trips together, one of which included the World Cups with excellent seating, but things seemed to have dipped off. Vaughn wasn't rude or ignoring her or anything awful, but there seemed to be a change that Giuliana wasn't made aware of.

For starters, his friendship with Teddy had gotten closer. They were inseparable and Teddy sat near them in all the classes they had with Hufflepuff. And of course, Vaughn had his Muggle Studies class with Teddy. It was still a shocking notion to Giuliana, though not as shocking to Vaughn's family when he told them about his choice in elective. Had she done something to upset Vaughn? She didn't think so. Vaughn had been excited all summer to see Teddy again, so perhaps it was just him catching up with him.

Vaughn hadn't even mentioned the Potions Appreciation Club to Giuliana, though the two of them had spent the summer buying supplies for it. They had dumped all the supplies in their potion's lab –untouched from when they left it at the end of last term – and hadn't been back since.

_'Whatever the issue, hopefully it'll pass soon.'_ Giuliana thought, not for the first time as she brought her attention back to Choir. The warmups were done and the choir was moving into "Double Trouble" now. As she did her part, Giuliana began to think about her second issue.

The mirror issue was far clearer than the trouble with Vaughn. The mirror was busted. It obviously had to be. Giuliana had the thing for nine months and got absolutely nothing from it. No number of spells, incantations, or behaviors she researched in the Hogwarts library or at her family's smaller two-story home library seemed to work. She carried the mirror with her always, tucked away safely in her school bag, and even slept with it under her pillow a few times, to try and build that bond her _bisnonno_ described, but received nothing from it. She wouldn't throw the mirror away, but there were days when she seriously considered it.

Practice came to an early end as Flitwick had an early class with some First Years. As usual, the Choir members remained behind and chatted for a bit before splitting off to do their own thing. Giuliana and Lisa left together and began to make their way to the marble staircases to head downstairs.

And as usual, Lisa was critiquing her fellow choir members.

"If Goldstein can find his voice I think we'll be set." She commented. "We can't be making fools of ourselves next week! It's our first live performance at the school and everyone will be there! And it'll be in front of Durmstrang and Beauxbatons! We can't look like fools in front of them!"

Giuliana nodded her head in agreement, knowing Lisa wasn't done talking yet. Sure enough, she continued, pointing out things that Giuliana already knew and heard a hundred times from her. By the time they reached the third floor and passed by a suit of armor doing a jig, Giuliana had to interrupt.

"It's going to be fine, Lisa. How many times do I need to say this?"

"You think it'll be fine! In fact, _you'll_ be more than fine! Your voice is amazing, like a siren mixed with an opera singer! UGH! Must be those Italian genes!"

"Thank you…?"

"But this is important for the whole choir! If we bomb, nobody will join! And we didn't get many try outs this semester, not even a _single_ First Year! We need to be seen seriously or else we might as well pack it in like the thousand other iterations of the Frog Choir!"

Giuliana seriously doubted it was a thousand iterations, but didn't contradict Lisa. There really was no point in it. Lisa kept talking as they made their way into the Great Hall for a late breakfast. Grey and black clouds hung over them, forecasting rain for later. Most of the Great Hall was empty, with only a few stranglers left behind either eating late or furiously scribbling with their quills to complete some last bit of homework.

With no one around that they knew, Giuliana and Lisa took a seat at the Ravenclaw table and began eating. Lisa was still going on about practice, critiquing every member. Giulia let her wear herself out, occasionally chiming in with her own judgments about the others, before changing the subject.

"Any other news about Ravenclaws entering the Triwizard Tournament?"

Lisa nodded her head, furiously spreading marmalade onto her toast. "Roger Davies is probably going to make a go of it since there's no Quidditch this year. How he got into Ravenclaw is beyond me since he's a total dunderhead, but I'm sure a Tournament focused on daring and do would _love_ to have him in it!"

"Still bitter?" Giuliana asked.

"Of course!" Lisa said, tearing a large bite out of her helpless toast. She munched on it angrily before continuing. "Why is everything in the Wizarding World just about physical ability!? Why isn't there a singing competition between the schools? Or an art competition? Or… or…"

"A dance competition?" Giuliana supplied, smiling at the silly ideas that brought to her mind.

"Exactly! It's all just violence and spells and _Quidditch_! It's been a month and people are still going on about that ruddy World Cup! Meanwhile, I have to practically drag people kicking and screaming to get them involved with the Frog Choir! You'd think you were taking them to listen to a bunch of banshees the way people are so against it!"

Things weren't that hard for the Frog Choir but Lisa loved the dramatics. They talked for a while more until the first bell rang and Lisa left for her morning class. Giuliana, free on Wednesday mornings, remained seated and worked on her Charms reading until it was time for back to back classes, Divination and then Ancient Runes.

Divination was exciting, though the perfume in Professor Trelawney's attic classroom was particularly heavy that day. Giuliana had mastered the astrology charts quickly and beamed with pride as Professor Trelawney complimented her skill of plotting Io's movement around Jupiter and what risks that entailed for eating beef. Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil glowered at her across the misty room, used to being Trelawney's favorite.

Once finished and out of the perfume heavy attic classroom, Giuliana made her way down the North Tower and headed to Ancient Runes. Located on the Sixth Floor next to the Room of Runes, the Study of Ancient Runes classroom was a far cry from the cramped Divination classroom. The room was open and airy, the walls shimmering with glowing, multicolor runes engraved into them. Soft blue flames flickered in the back of the classroom by the door, though they were hardly necessary. Huge accent windows took up the front of the classroom, with ivy and flowers crawling up the window trim. Normally the sunlight would be flooding in, but the clouds in the sky prevented it that day. Looking to her desk, Giuliana noted that her assigned desk mate, Hermione, was already there.

"Morning." Hermione said, looking over her copies of _Ancient Runes Made Easy_ and the _Rune Dictionary_. Giuliana responded in kind, unfazed by Hermione's studious nature. She always reviewed her books before class started. Before long, their Professor, Bathsheda Babbling, walked in from her adjacent office with rolled up charts in her arms.

"Morning, students!" she announced, excitement in her voice as she laid the charts down on her dark mahogany desk. "Today we're etching our own Nordic Runestones!"

Murmurs of joy bubbled up from the classroom at the exciting prospect, making Professor Babbling smile. Professor Babbling was a bit of an odd ball, though not for the normal reasons attributed to the faculty at Hogwarts. She was the youngest Hogwarts professor at the age of thirty but one of the Wizarding world's leading experts in Runes. She had taken four years of her life to study at Koldovstortz, the Russian Wizarding school, and had gained an immense amount of knowledge along with an appreciation of all things Slavic. Her dress robes were inspired by it, and her look reminded Giuliana a lot of Vaughn's older relatives.

With a swish of her wand, Professor Babbling sent the charts flying across the room. They landed softly on each desk as Babbling began to walk around the room with a wicker basket, giving each student a stone about the size of their hand. Once she finished, Babbling moved back to the front of the room to continue her lecture.

"Now, as we discussed briefly last class, Runestones have been around since the 4th century A.D. Now at first, these Runestone weren't magical at all. Muggle barbarian tribes in Scandinavia and central Europe designed them first to honor their gods, like Odin, Freya, Tyr, and Ēostre. It wasn't until the 9th Century this changed and Runes began to take on magical properties. Can anyone tell us what our textbooks say about this?"

To no one's great shock, Hermione's hand shot up. Like she did every time this happened, Professor Babbling gave the rest of a class a few seconds to see if anyone else would raise their hand. When no one did, she called on Hermione with a knowing smile who immediatley went into explanation.

"Well, on Christmas of 800 A.D., the French king Charlemagne, or Charles the Great, was crowned Emperor of the Romans by the Church in Rome." Hermione explained. Around her, students were scribbling down what she said verbatim, including Giuliana. "He's sometimes called the "Father of Europe" because he was the first since the Roman Empire to unite a lot of western and central Europe. But in order to do this, he had to have help from the Church and spread its message."

"And why, Ms. Granger, was this an issue?"

"Because it led to a lot of witches and wizards being forced from lands they lived in for centuries. Since Charlemagne's realm extended through a good portion of modern-day Germany, many magic users had to flee further north to Scandinavia beyond the Church's influence. That's when many magic users encountered Runes for the first time."

"Excellent, Ms. Granger! Ten points for Gryffindor! That was even more information than what the textbook said. Did Professor Binns teach you all that?"

"Er…. No." Hermione replied. The rest of the class was in silent agreement with her. Fourth Year History of Magic was – once again – focused on Goblin Rebellions.

"Well, hopefully he will make a point too. Now, when these fleeing witches and wizards arrived in Scandinavia, they found a more welcoming crowd for their abilities. Within a generation they assimilated into the priest caste for a group of people that Muggles call "Vikings." And, when introduced to Runes, witches and wizards found ways to imbue them with magical properties that correlated with the Runes meaning. Suddenly, witches and wizards had the ability to use Runes to magically enhance certain items, ward off hexes and ill omens, and even do something as niche as make sure a stew came out hearty every time it was cooked. So, for today, pick out a Rune on your chart and etch it into the stone. Once that's done, follow the instructions on page 62 and imbue it with magic."

The class began their assignment in earnest, first searching for the page in their book, and then picking out what Rune they wished to work with. Once that was done, each student used their wands to chisel the Rune into stone and then attempted to imbue it with magic. It wasn't long until Hermione was the first in the class to have the way of it. Her Runestone, carved with the symbol of _Thekkur_, or friendship, was glowing a bright orange, the stone purring with magic like a cat. Giuliana looked at it jealously, her own symbol still dull.

_'Insufferable know it all. She only has time to study so much cuz she doesn't have many friends.'_ Giuliana heard Pansy Parkinson's shrill voice crying out in her mind. Disgusted that she thought for a moment like Pansy, Giuliana decided to try another tact.

"That's really impressive." Giuliana commented, pointing to the glowing Rune. "You did it real fast too. Good job."

Hermione gave her a look of shock. They'd been desk mates for three weeks now and barely spoke to one another. Giuliana also guess Hermione was cautious due to her House, as Giuliana was of her's.

"Um, thank you." Hermione replied politely. "It's really quite simple at this level. I can show you if you like."

"It's alright. I want to do it myself."

"Oh-um-no… I didn't mean I'd do it for you. That wouldn't be right. But just aim your wand differently. You don't need it pointing directly into the Rune as you trace it. Try moving it parallel to the Rune."

Giuliana did so and found her own Rune, _Wunjo_, or Joy, lighting up soon enough. It emanated a soft shade of yellow and when Giuliana touched the stone she felt a smile come to her face. The Rune magic was working and despite the clouds outside, Giuliana felt as though she was basking in a ray of sunlight.

Professor Babbling, stopping in front of their desk, looking at both of them proudly. "Brilliant work you two! You're the first to finish so quic- Oh! Mr. Corner! An excellent Tyr Rune! This deserves some points. Five for Gryffindor, five for Slytherin, and five for Ravenclaw!"

The Ravenclaw, fellow Fourth Year Michael Corner, looked quite pleased with himself and began helping his desk mate with the assignment. Hermione, her assignment done, began looking through her book again for the next challenge.

"Thanks for the help." Giuliana said, not quite sure why she was continuing the conversation.

"Oh, no problem. I'm sure you would have gotten it eventually."

"Eventually yeah, but without five points for Slytherin. So, thank you."

"Of course." Hermione said, looking a bit put out that she had helped Slytherin House as a whole.

"So, what are you reading now?"

"Next month's assignment." Hermione said with a tone of normality that implied she often read that far ahead. "We'll be covering Numerical Runes which are fascinating! Reminds me of Arithmancy."

"My best friend, Vaughn Rzhevsky, is in that class. He thinks it's brilliant, raves about it all the time."

"Oh yes. He sits near me. He seems nice for someone from-"

Giuliana could tell she was about to absent mindedly say 'Slytherin' as Hermione's face flushed pink with embarrassment. Giuliana felt her own face go red from the implication. _'Classic Gryffindor.'_ Giuliana thought, hand now resting onto the _Wunjo_ Rune. _'Though maybe she didn't mean it like that. Hopefully… Draco and the others have been bad to her. She doesn't seem like she deserves it.'_

The conversation died after that and before long Professor Babbling was back to teaching. When class ended, Hermione packed up her heavy bag and left the classroom quickly, still looking rather embarrassed by what had happened. Giuliana, unsure of how she felt about Hermione now, packed up her Rune put it into her bag, thinking that it might make for a fun gift to Vaughn.

* * *

_**It's a fun character/world building bit, but why is the History professor a dull ghost? If it's been the norm for a while, it does speak volumes as to why there doesn't appear to be much historical perspective among the adults of the British Wizarding World (the high number of Goblin Rebellions seem to back this up.) Diligent students of history, the magical community is not and as a History Major, this greatly distresses me. The only history Wizards seem to care for is whose ancestors were boning who. **_

_**The only explanation is that if Hogwarts staff tries to remove one ghost it would - naturally - get the other ghosts worked up and lead to some unpleasant conversations. Best to keep the beings who can float through solid objects and torment magic users happy, hmm?**_

_**As mentioned in a previous A/N, the Frog Choir isn't in the books, but JK said she loved it when it was included in the Third movie. So, it's appearing in this story. And yes, we'll see more of Hermione.**_


	14. Eastern Connections

**_It's been a while but I finally had some free time on my hands. I have the next few chapters already written so updates will be regular again for like the next five chapter at least (and hopefully beyond)._**

* * *

**Chapter XIV: Eastern Connections**

"Look at this one! 'Charles Ryley, Winner of All Hallows' Eve Costume Contest, 1505.' And he won for 1506 and 1507 too! Why don't we do costume contests anymore?"

Vaughn smiled and squeezed his boyfriend's hand lightly before leaning in to kiss Teddy on the cheek. The action was a simple one, but still felt new and scandalous every time he did it. They were alone in the Trophy Room, a usually deserted hall that switched between being on the third and sixth floor of the castle. A dazzling display of trophies, medals, and tokens of accomplishment were on display, dating all the way back to Hogwarts founding in the 10th Century. It was an easy place for the boys to hang out without disruption, and besides giving them a chance to kiss one another, the boys enjoyed looking through the trophies, many of which had remarkable accomplishments engraved into them.

"I don't think that one beats 'Best Bred Grindylow.' No wonder the Great Lake is full of Merpeople." Vaughn replied.

"Can you see them from your Common Room?" Teddy asked, leaning in to kiss Vaughn's neck lightly. His lips tickled, making Vaughn shudder in delight.

"Sometimes. We can't understand them, but they don't seem to get that. I know some of the older Slytherins think they found a way to communicate with them, but it doesn't seem to work that well."

"Are they pretty?"

"Err… not really. They look rather sickly, actually."

Teddy was disappointed. "In the non-magical world, Mermaids are portrayed as these beautiful creatures, so beautiful they lure sailors to their deaths."

"Well in the magical world, Merpeople still do that too. Thankfully not the ones in the Great Lake."

"Maybe we can ask Professor Burbage later in class. She knows more about non-magical culture then even I do!"

Vaughn gave Teddy a withered look, which he returned with a bemused one. Two weeks into the term and Vaughn's time in Muggle Studies was off to a rough start. The class was majority Muggle-Born students with a handful of Half-Bloods who were taking it out of curiosity or because they heard it was an easy grade and O.W.L. exam. Vaughn was the only Pure-Blood – and, more damning, the only Slytherin – in the class and he stuck out like a sore thumb. He was completely lost with concepts such as toasters, microwaves, and pagers, which Vaughn quickly deduced were common place appliances in the Muggle world. The looks of shock he received from his classmates was evidence enough of that. Nobody made any jokes about it to his face though as Teddy, the only saving grace of that class, gave them a warning glare whenever a student looked to be on the cusp of a snide remark.

Professor Charity Burbage, the Muggle Studies Professor, was a patient Witch and offered every class to tutor anyone who felt as though they were behind. It was an offer to the whole class, but everyone seemed to know it was directed at Vaughn. So far he hadn't taken her up on it as Teddy was tutoring him.

"You know something, I don't think I've ever heard a word about the Hufflepuff Common Room." Vaughn stated, attempting to change the subject.

"Oh?"

"Yes, I don't think I have. What's it like?"

"Well, it's beautiful, it's calm. It's like living in an idyllic country cottage. There's a big fire, fresh plants, beautiful window panes that look over the grounds, and there are all of these massive comfy chairs that swallow you up. Oh, and it always smells like fresh breads since it's right next to the kitchens. Oh! And there's a big portrait of Helga Hufflepuff above the fireplace. She's really nice and always giving us advice if we ask for it."

"Sounds very different from the Slytherin Common Room."

"Hmm, let me guess, grimy walls, faint smell of bad potions, maybe some chains hanging on the walls?" Teddy joked, playfully ribbing Vaughn.

"If only. Then a bunch of us Slytherins could jinx the chains to tie up Malfoy. Maybe get him to shut up."

Teddy laughed at the thought, which brought a smile to Vaughn's face. It had been a long summer without Teddy around and just being with him, seeing him smile and laugh and bring joy to everyone around him was fantastic. He had considered many times inviting Teddy to visit the Rzhevsky home, but had lost his nerve. Perhaps for the Christmas holidays? But what would his parents think about a muggle boyfriend though?

They stayed in the Trophy Hall for another ten minutes before the bell rang and Teddy had to be off. He was a Proud Badger Cub Leader and had two First Years Hufflepuffs he was looking after. As part of his duties, he would walk with them between classes for the first few weeks of term to help them acclimate and find their way. Vaughn felt as though the other Houses would benefit from such a system. "Once I drop them off at Charms I have to head to Care for Magical Creatures. Can we eat dinner together?" Teddy asked.

"I need to spend time with Giuliana. I haven't seen her all day. Do you mind if she joins us?"

"Course not. Can Megan join too? I reckon her and Giuliana feel like they're in the same boat about you and I."

Vaughn nodded, thinking along the same lines. Vaughn had spent a good portion of his summer with Giuliana, but as soon as he got to Hogwarts the friendship was second fiddle to Teddy. It was entirely his fault and he felt guilty.

Gathering their things, the pair kissed once more and then slipped out of the Trophy Room. Without anywhere to be, Vaughn returned to the Slytherin Common Room, knowing that Giuliana always returned there after her Ancient Runes class to drop off books.

The dungeons were empty and he returned to the Common Room without running into anyone. Announcing the password – "Ambitious Devil" – Vaughn walked into an empty Common Room, the lighting bright and casting the Common Room in a dark green hue. The view into the Great Lake was a ghastly black that day due to the clouds above blocking out the sun. Vaughn hated when this happened, and took a seat in one of the Common Room's black leather chairs that was turned away from the dark void.

With no one around, Vaughn pulled out his private notebook and continued his work for P.A.C. Scouring the Rzhevsky library over the summer holiday had given him plenty of ideas for new potions to try and make, along with a few original ideas. His notebook was well worn by now, filled with crazy theories and ideas, scraps of paper stuffed into it, and sometimes Vaughn's personal thoughts about the day. Given the private nature of it, Vaughn had a family member teach him a secrecy charm so that he was the only one capable of opening the notebook.

Besides the improvements to the Concentration Potion – which he had taken to naming MAP, for Mental Acuity Potion – and the Calming Draught, Vaughn had three potions he wanted to attempt. The first was a simple head ache remedy, which Vaughn hoped would counter act the worst side effects of MAP.

The second was a reaction to the Weasley Joke products that now seemed to be everywhere around the school. The Twins – the unit that Fred and George Weasley were known as – seemed to have gotten more aggressive in their selling their products, which had led to an unfortunate run in with one of them for Vaughn. A custard cream was laying on the Slytherin table in the Great Hall and Vaughn, assuming the custard's safety, ate one. Next thing he knew he was transfigured into a canary for a minute. Thankfully, there weren't many students around at the time, but those that were got a laugh out of it. So began Vaughn's potion making vendetta to nullify any Weasley Products effects on the body.

The last potion was a simpler one, designed for heating up the body for warmth during the winter. There was the Pepperup Potion, but that was mainly used to cure the Common Cold with the side effects of steam coming from a person's ears for hours. Fortunately, the Rzhevsky had a history of dealing with the frigid cold and had a paste that Vaughn was hoping to develop for the winter. He was sure that students would love to buy it.

_Meow…._

Vaughn looked down to see a large fluffy black blob of fur circling the chair. It paused in front of Vaughn and looked up, flashing a pair of yellow eyes.

"Hey, Bog. How are you?" Vaughn asked, picking up the big cat. Officially named Chernobog, "Bog" was Vaughn's new magical pet. He was a calm cat, only a few years old, and had a habit of alerting him to people's presence. Sure enough, a pair of Seventh Years emerged from the dormitories, looking guilty but satisfied. One of them, the girl, gave Vaughn a stern look while the other, a guy, looked sheepish, which earned him a slap to the chest. They left the Common Room quickly, leaving Vaughn alone with Bog who was now on his lap.

"Wonder what they were up to." Vaughn joked. Bog just purred and began to fall asleep. He returned to his notebook, pulling out a sheet of paper from it that Teddy had given to him. It outlined P.A.C.s expenses and potential profit for the Fourth Year, which were mixed thanks to a lot of their customer base graduating. P.A.C. had been cautious about selling below Seventh Year last year, figuring the older students would be more likely to keep their mouths shut. It had obviously worked, but now Vaughn wanted to expand. If the Weasley's could get away with their shenanigans, then why couldn't they?

_'Maybe Hogwarts professors would care more about potions than joke items.'_

Frustrated by that thought, Vaughn sealed his notebook and pulled out his Herbology book, _One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_. For a moment, Vaughn considered also pulling out a vial of MAP, but stopped himself.

_'Save it for the customers.'_ He thought.

Vaughn read for the next hour, making notations in his book as needed. The only sounds were the crackles of the fire, Bog's purrs, and the echoes from the Lake. Sometimes one could hear the Merpeople singing, but today it just sounded like water sloshing against the windows. Vaughn was alerted to the Lunch Hour when the door to the Common Room opened and students began streaming in. Before long, Giuliana joined them, holding something in her hands.

"Look at this!" she announced proudly, bouncing over to him. She had to adjust her glasses as they almost fell from her nose with excitement. In her hand was a rune etched into stone. It glowed yellow and Vaughn had a strong desire to touch it.

"That's interesting. What does it mean?" Vaughn asked.

"Friendship. It's actually a gift for you. Here, try holding it!"

The rune exchanged hands and Vaughn felt an immediate change in his mood. He felt his mind elevate to another plane and he suddenly felt really good to be around Giuliana. All the good memories they had, even one that had faded, rushed back to him.

"This is incredible!" Vaughn said, a smile on his face. "Maybe we should start selling these too. Good job!"

"Actually, Granger showed me how to do it. She's quite talented."

"Well, she's the only one in Arithmancy who knows what's going on right now." Vaughn commented, feelings of jealously bubbling up. Surprised to be feeling something so negative, he looked down at the rune and noticed its color was fading.

"Oh no! The magic's fading." Giuliana said, snatching it from Vaughn's grip. She stared at it angrily. "Sorry about your gift."

"It's fine. I'll take the next one you make. Oh, we could start selling these with the Calming Drought."

"You reckon?"

"Oh sure. Why not make a deal? Two potions and we'll throw in a rune. Do you know any more you can make?" Vaughn asked, though frowned when he noticed Giuliana trying to suppress a laugh. "What?"

"Nothing. It's just nice-" Giuliana began, though paused as a pack of Third Years passed by, complaining of having to stay up late for an Astronomy lecture. Once they passed, she continued. "It's nice to hear you talk about P.A.C. again at school."

"Why? I've talked about it."

"Not with me."

"Oh…" That must have been with Teddy. He could have sworn he spoke about it with her as well. "I'm sorry. I haven't given up on the club! Obviously."

"Obviously. I'm glad."

"Yeah."

An awkward silence between the two followed and chattering from the common room filled the void. Next to the black marble fire place, a group of Fifth Years discussed the previous Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Remus Lupin. Even three months later, the gossip in Slytherin was just as strong as the morning Professor Snape announced to them that Professor Lupin was a werewolf. It had scandalized many of the parents and the Board of Governors and Lupin quickly resigned when news broke. Plenty in Hogwarts had blamed Snape – and thus Slytherin – for the dismissal of what was arguably their most competent DADA professor yet.

"You know, Teddy doesn't think Lupin being a werewolf is a big deal." Vaughn told Giuliana. She looked back at him quizzically.

"Excuse me?"

"That's how I reacted! But Teddy thinks it would be easy to contain a werewolf with all the magic that exist. He even thinks I could one day brew a potion to control a werewolf's transformation."

"Well," Giuliana replied, eyes flashing with annoyance behind her glasses, "That potion already exists. It's the Wolfsbane Potion which Professor Snape was brewing for Lupin every full moon. And Lupin still almost killed a student!"

"I guess you're right." Vaughn muttered, unsure where the anger was coming from. Why was she acting like this? Just because they hadn't been spending as much time together this year? They spent the whole bloody summer together, and it wasn't like Giuliana was on her own at school. She had Lisa and the lot in Frog Choir to be friends with. Even her and Megan Jones were friendly now. And why did she seem so intent on hating Teddy?

But Vaughn had no idea how to properly approach this topic. Instead, he did what he did with family drama, quietly hoped the anger faded or was forgotten about. Vaughn moved onto another topic that Giuliana seemed excited for.

"I've been thinking about business. And I think we have a… unique opportunity with the Triwizard Tournament." Vaughn began. Instantly, Giuliana's mood seemed to improve and she even leaned in to hear him better. "Dumbledore said it's supposed to be about fostering connections between the wizarding schools, right? So why can't some of those connections be business ones?"

"You want to sell to Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students?"

"Not directly. But, what if we had connections within the school to work with?"

Giuliana thought about that for a second, then gave a dry laugh. "You mean my cousins who go to those schools?"

"Yep."

Giuliana chewed the inside of her mouth, thinking about it briefly. "A connection at Beauxbatons would be a no. I would rather have detention for the rest of term than ask Paola for anything. Besides, I wouldn't trust her with something like this. But Nelo at Durmstrang could be a lead. He owled and said he's with the Durmstrang delegation coming to Hogwarts."

"Would he be interested in joining P.A.C.?" Vaughn asked, feeling excited. He was unsure how Giuliana would react to bringing her cousins into this, but maybe, just maybe it could work.

"I don't know. He's always been proper though a bit out there on somethings. But Durmstrang is a different place, Vaughn. Everything is stricter there, they have gargoyles who wander the grounds and report to professors about troublemakers. They even still use the paddle on students."

They grew quiet again as a Seventh Year passed by, heavy bags under his eyes no doubt from the work load. Both of the younger Slytherins shuddered as they imagined themselves in a similar position in three years.

"Well, if it's that dreary at Durmstrang, they probably need some Calming Draught. Or a potion to make you feel better. Oh, a potion like the Pepperup Potion but one that improves your mood! That would be a good brew. I have a few ideas about it as well."

"That concoction already exists too, Vaughn. It's called alcohol." Both of them laughed at that, breaking some of the tension from before. Giuliana, with a smile on her face now, nodded her head. "Alright, we can talk to Nelo when he gets here."

"Brilliant!" Vaughn exclaimed. He was about to say he was excited to tell Teddy, but stopped himself just in the nick of time. He still had no idea why he hadn't mentioned that they were dating to Giuliana. It just felt as though things would change between them and Vaughn wasn't sure he could handle that.

"Why don't we start brewing this weekend? Teddy has some customers on the hook and we can start our distribution network here so it's all ready when Durmstrang and Beauxbatons arrives."

"Sounds perfect." Giuliana replied, with a wicked smile on her face that Vaughn returned. Hopefully things would only improve in Fourth year for P.A.C.

* * *

_**Soft reset after all this time away. More to come in a few days! Please review and let me know your thoughts. **_


	15. School Worlds Collide

**Chapter XV: School Worlds Collide**

"You're just stirring the pot, aren't you?"

"Not on purpose. I'm just curious as to why he hasn't said anything!"

Teddy rolled his eyes at Megan's continued questioning. He tried to focus on labelling another phial of the Bubotuber pus, hoping that Megan would relent. Of course, he knew she wouldn't. The barrage of questions usually wouldn't annoy Teddy, but they picked at something he himself felt uncertain about. Why hadn't Vaughn told Giuliana about them?

"You're not going to get me to talk badly about my boyfriend." He whispered to her.

"Boyfriend?!" Megan excited whispered back. Teddy couldn't help his face going red. "Well if you two are boyfriends then he _has_ to tell Giuliana!"

"No, he doesn't." Teddy replied, reluctantly turning his attention back to their shared Bubotuber plant. Professor Sprout might have been the Head of Hufflepuff House and a very nice Witch, but Teddy couldn't muster much enthusiasm for the subject she taught. He had found that, more often than not, magical plants were fairly disgusting and he hated having to deal with them in Herbology. The Bubotuber plant looked awful, and it didn't help that their assignment was to harvest the disgusting yellow pus from the plant. It was sticky, smelly work and all around them, Gryffindor and Hufflepuff students alike were covered in pus that smelled of petrol. The only one not disturbed was Neville Longbottom who, as usual, was excelling at anything Herbology related. Thankfully, this was their last assignment dealing with the plant and they wouldn't have to worry about it until their O.W.L.s next year.

Turning his attention back to Megan, Teddy saw she was still unconvinced. "Look… I can understand him not mentioning this to her yet. It's not like I'm rushing to tell my family about us. So I won't make him tell people when I can't either. I'd be the biggest hypocrite in Britain!"

"No, you wouldn't." Megan comforted. "Oh Teddy, we both know two boyfriends are ok in the magical world. It's different in the Muggle World and he'll understand if you don't tell your family right away."

"I don't want him to think badly of the non-magical world though. I really think he's losing some of his distaste for it, not that it was ever as bad as some other Purebloods. Just the regular bout of superiority."

"Is that so? Is he finally doing better in Muggle Studies?"

"Well, he knows the difference between a toaster and a microwave and thinks a toaster is 'fun'. So that's progress."

Both of them laughed at that as the class came to an end. Before they were dismissed, Professor Sprout reminded them all that the delegations from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons would be arriving that afternoon to and to clean themselves up before that.

"Do you reckon it's his parents?" Megan offered, "Maybe he's afraid of their reaction."

"Honestly, if anything, they'll only be offended by the fact that I'm a 'Muggle' and not that I'm a boy." Teddy snorted. His non-magical parents were a serious concern Teddy had. He tried to talk about it twice but both times Vaughn dodged all the questions, only supporting Teddy's fears. Vaughn had written to Teddy over the summer that his parents were disappointed one of his electives would be Muggle Studies, apparently believing that he was 'wasting his potential' there. Who knew what those highbrow gits would think of Vaughn dating a 'Muggle'?

"Oi, you two. Heading back to the common room?" Justin Finch-Fletchley called out. Hannah Abbott was behind him, stuffing her Herbology gloves into her bag.

"That was the plan." Teddy replied, slowing down so they could catch up. Justin gave him a Cheshire cat grin, fixing his mess of hair.

"Good. I need some time look prim and proper for all the Beauxbatons ladies." Justin teased, nudging Teddy's arm in a joking manner. Teddy returned it half-heartedly, causing Megan to giggle.

"Justin, you do realize that Beauxbatons is co-ed and not a girls only school, right?" Hannah chided.

"What?" Justin replied, looking crestfallen. "I thought Beauxbatons was all girls and Durmstrang is all boys?"

"That's absolutely rubbish. Who told you that?"

The four Hufflepuffs dissolved into laughter as they made the trek to their common room near the Kitchens. Of the four House Common Rooms, Hufflepuff's was perhaps the most secret. The entrances to Gryffindor and Ravenclaw's were easy enough to locate, and most people had a general idea of where Slytherin's was. Few people outside of Hufflepuff knew were their Common Room was or even what it looked like. As they headed towards it, Hannah and Megan broke off into their own conversation, leavings the boys to talk shop.

"So… I was wondering, are you still looking for help selling those potions?" Justin whispered. His voice was so low that Teddy had to ask him to repeat his question.

"I will in a bit. More potions are being made now and we're planning on expanding the market."

"To who?"

Teddy didn't even have to think if he could trust Justin with that information. Besides Megan, he was one of Teddy's first friends at Hogwarts. Both had come from the non-magical world and spent their childhoods as outsiders among their magical peers over magical occurrences neither of them could explain. Now at Hogwarts, surrounded by children who understood them, both of them thrived together.

"We're going to sell to Durmstrang and Beauxbatons. Build a network through their students and Owl the potions to their schools." Teddy explained. Justin's eyes lit up with shock, then a devious smile.

"That's brilliant."

"Thank you, though it wasn't my idea."

"You still won't tell me who your partners are, huh?" Justin asked.

"No, but they appreciate what you do for P.A.C.." Teddy replied. Vaughn and Giuliana didn't want their names out there, but Teddy suspected Justin already knew who the partners were. That didn't mean the average customer knew. The air of mystery around who was brewing the potions was helpful for business and the name Potion's Appreciations Club was talked about in hushed whispers for the older students.

"I don't really care about their gratitude, but I appreciate the sickles and galleons I make." Justin said.

"Well, I'll make sure to mention it." While Justin was one of his best friends, Teddy did wonder why Justin wanted more money. Justin's family was wealthy, though it was obviously all in the non-magical world. His father was an Eton man and his mother did something important at HSBC. Maybe he was just bored and wanted something to do.

_'Rich people are like that sometimes. Just looking for dumb stuff to waste time on.'_ His sister had once told him.

"Should I bring Eddie back in? We'll need those Ravenclaw galleons come term finals."

Teddy had to think about that. "We should… but later. He worries me. Remember how he almost got caught twice by Percy Weasley!"

"Well, Percy's gone now and the new Prefects are apparently pretty lax. And, hey, it's not like Cedric would bust us!"

"Um… yes he would because he's a good guy. I'll think about Eddie, but don't promise him anything!"

"Fine. I just feel bad. I don't want Eddie to feel left out."

Teddy gave him a supportive pat on the back, though he found the sentiment a bit silly. Justin was good hearted and a good friend, though a bit naïve. Maybe that's why he was helping out with the potion selling? But there was no denying it. Eddie was trouble, but Teddy could keep a leash on him. The boy was a year older than Teddy but easily swayable with the right words. And if the worst happened to him…

Well, Teddy wasn't quite sure how they would handle it.

* * *

The arrival of the student delegations for the Triwizard Tournament was met with much fanfare and wonder at the foreign magics being used.

Beauxbatons arrived first and descended from the clouds in a blue carriage pulled by Abraxan horses. The carriage almost seemed like it was made of glass the way it was shimmering in the afternoon light, but still held together firmly as the Abraxans landed on the Hogwarts grounds at the direction of Hagrid. For that matter, even the students seemed rather dainty. Both boys and girls were dressed in gorgeous pale blue robes of fine silk, each uniform spotless and well maintained. The uniforms were a bit thin though, and many hoped they brought thicker clothes for winter. To top off the uniform were light blue caps that all sat atop of well-manicured hair.

In sharp contrast to the fragile students was Beauxbaton's Headmistress, Madam Olympe Maxime, who was the tallest woman – no, person, save Hagrid – any of the students had ever seen. She strode about the school with confidence, looking down, figuratively and literally, at Hogwarts and its students as she passed by.

Not to be outdone by the French, the Durmstrang delegation burst onto the scene when the Great Lake seemed to explode. At first, many though it was the Giant Squid, until a large mast appeared and several sails dropped down, the largest stitched with the Durmstrang coat of arms. The magical ship was old and made of a blackwood with golden inlay. There was an otherworldly feel to the ship, as it seemed to naturally radiate mist and the portholes glowed strange colors unlike any seen on earth.

While the Beauxbatons dressed loosely in silk, the Durmstrang students looked as though they were about to disembark in the Arctic. The twelve boys and girls were dressed in heavy fur coats with _ushankas_ on their heads. They were a pack of brown fur moving as one unit as they entered Hogwarts. Only one of them stood out.

"See that man? That's Karkaroff, the Headmaster." Giuliana pointed. Vaughn spotting the tall, thin man in silver fur. "He used to be a Death Eater."

Vaughn looked at her in shock and then back at Karkaroff. He certainly looked slimy enough to be a Death Eater. Tall and thin, he was smiling with yellow teeth as he greeted Dumbledore, though it seemed an empty gesture. Even his hair was greased back too far and his goatee just screamed villainous.

"How did he become Headmaster?" Vaughn asked.

"Don't know." Giuliana replied, giving a wave to her cousin Nelo amongst the student delegation. "Durmstrang's always had a reputation for dark arts, but apparently even they hate Karkaroff. That's at least what Nelo says."

"Still… a former Death Eater?"

Giuliana just shrugged. "He turned his back on all that apparently. Just another Pure Blood who was too stupid to realize what they signed up for and ran like a coward when things got too real. Kind of like Regulus Black did when-"

"MERLIN'S BEARD! Is that Victor Krum?!"

The figure from Durmstrang was in fact Victor Krum, legendary Seeker for the Bulgarian National Quidditch Team. The student body went into a clamor as the news spread, all attempts at composure lost as students tried to get a glimpse of Krum.

"You didn't tell me that Krum was coming?!" Vaughn hissed.

"My cousin didn't tell me!" Giuliana shot back. Neither of the Slytherin's went crazy over Quidditch, but someone like Victor Krum was something to get excited about.

It took some effort, but eventually all the students were corralled into the Great Hall for the Welcome Feast. The Beauxbaton delegation, after looking around with unimpressed looks, settled at the Ravenclaw Table. Durmstrang was put at the Slytherin Table by Karkaroff. They got comfortable and stripped off their heavy fur coats to reveal blood red school uniforms underneath. Their placement annoyed the other Houses as students openly gawked at Krum with jealously. However, the older Slytherin's were just as annoyed when Krum and a few others sat next to the 4th Years, with Draco Malfoy next to Krum. Vaughn and Giuliana sat nearby next to Nelo.

"Stick with me, Krum, and I'll show you the ins and outs of this place." Draco told Krum, a smug smile on his face. No doubt he hoped this placement would make people forget about the whole ferret incident with Professor Moody.

"Hmm. That is kind of you." Krum replied in a thick accent. He was clearly more interested in the food that apparated in front of them then Malfoy. The feast was a mix of cuisines from all three schools, meaning there were many dishes on the table that Hogwarts students had never seen before. Vaughn and Giuliana, thanks to their extended families abroad, knew quite a few of them already. But most of the other Hogwarts students, born and raised only with British Wizarding cuisine in mind, could only guess at what certain dishes could be.

Vaughn was trying to focus on what Giuliana and Nelo's were talking about, but Draco's pretentious tone continued to infiltrate the conversation.

"Slytherin has the run of this place, so no one will bother you if you're with one of us." Draco proudly declared, as if he was the Head of House.

"Hmm." Krum muttered.

"You know I'm Slytherin's Seeker. The rest of the team is great, but it's really down to us. You understand that. A Quidditch team's success comes down to Seekers. It's where the game is made or lose, wouldn't you agree?"

"Hmm."

"Father got us Box Seats with the Ministers of Magic. He's high up in the Ministry and does a lot of work for Fudge. Fudge would be helpless without Father."

"Hmm."

Vaughn, noticing Krum still puzzling over the food, did something completely out of character. He tried to socialize.

"The Golubtsy is rather good, if you wish to try that."

A silence fell over their part of the Slytherin table. A vein throbbed in Draco's head when he realized that for the first time, Krum was interested.

"Is it?" He asked. Vaughn nodded back. "You v'are a Fourth Year too?" Krum asked.

"Yes, sir!" Vaughn replied, feeling silly.

"No need for that. We can be friends, yes?"

"Of course! I don't know why I said sir. I'm Vaughn Rzhevsky."

"Rzhevsky?" Krum said delighted. Quite a few others Durmstrang student looked up excited. Draco looked fully distressed now. He was losing the spotlight. "Vhy are you so far vrom home?"

"Family issues. Apparently, his great-great-great aunt supposedly married a muggle!" Malfoy sneered. He got some back up from his cronies around him. Vaughn shot him a dark look, but Krum did not seem disturbed by this allegation.

"Vhat is vrong with marrying a muggle?" Krum asked, all innocence. Draco fell silent and he struggled for an answer to such a rebuke to his Pure Blood-mania. Giuliana snickered into her goblet.

"Well, there was a family issue." Vaughn clarified. "But no Muggle. We had a vampire in the family, but nobody famous. He didn't want to stay in Russia so he left, hoping to make a new life in Britain. He was later followed by a few siblings to look after him and then our family grew out here."

"Really? Fascinating." Krum replied, leaning forward. "Is your uncle still vith us?"

"No. He exposed himself a few decades ago. I'm told he was a nice man though, but said that after four hundred years alive, things got a bit boring."

"That is good vor him. To end things on one's own terms, it is better, no? More… 'onorable?"

"I agree." Vaughn said, still in awe he was actually having a conversation with Victor bloody Krum.

"I have not had much chance to study vampires properly. Quidditch has kept me busy, though I try to read when I can. But I am in the Martial Faculty. It is good. Keeps a man strong, but should not the mind be strong too?"

"I couldn't agree more. But I'm sorry, the "Martial Faculty?"

"It's like a House. Durmstrang has five Faculties" Giuliana jumped in, face a bit red as she did so Krum did not seem to mind the Interruption though, nodding to Nelo as she spoke. "Sorry, I just know. My cousin, Nelo, goes to school with you."

"Ah, ves, of course. Good man."

Nelo nodded in response. "I'm in the Nature Faculty."

"Do you visit Russia often?" another Durmstrang student asked, some crumbs on his uniform.

"Not for a couple of years. But my family still visits every year." Vaughn replied.

"Do you still speak the tongue?"

Vaughn replied in Russian, leaving the Durmstrang students impressed. Malfoy's ears went red. "We all have language skills, Rzhevsky." Malfoy said, desperately trying to regain control. "My father made sure I can speak French fluently and even Latin."

"A dog could speak French, it is so simplistic." One Durmstrang girl joked, cause some chuckles from the table. Malfoy, wordless, looked down at his foods as his cronies attempted to comfort him. Vaughn and Giuliana exchanged a look of pure joy at the outcome.

The conversation flowed naturally after that as Draco shut his mouth. They talked more about the Five Faculties and compared them to the Houses at Hogwarts. They even talked about Karkaroff, and while no one openly expressed a dislike of their Headmaster, the implications were clear. Krum didn't say much else, enjoying his meals in silence and grunting every once in a while.

Dinner ended with an explanation of the rules and entrance requirements for the Tournament and the presentation of the Goblet of Fire. Its physical appearance was underwhelming as a simple wooden goblet, but the air crackled with ancient magics as it emanated blue-white flames. A few more words and Dumbledore dismissed them all for bed. As they shuffled out of the hall, there was a backup at the entrance into the Great Hall.

"So you're entering then?" Giuliana asked of Nelo.

"Wouldn't have come all this way if I wasn't." Nelo replied.

"I hope you make it."

"As do I." Nelo said, though he seemed unconvinced he would. "It will be a boring year if I don't."

"Well, if you're interested, and you think anyone else back at Durmstrang would be, Vaughn and I have a proposal for you."

"Oh?"

Giuliana gave Vaughn a look, a smile that indicated her cousin was interested, and then nodded to Nelo. "We can talk about it later. In private."

Nelo just nodded in response and they continued walking with the crowd out of the Great Hall. Karkaroff had practically mauled down a few students to get to Krum. The Headmaster of Durmstrang was fawning over Krum in a rather undignified manner, even snapping at other Durmstrang students who tried to speak to him.

But that demeanor broke as he reached the entrance to the Great Hall.

"Y-You!"

Karkaroff had run into Harry Potter. But instead of the usual awe Potter inspired, Karkaroff seemed frozen and terrified. Potter didn't react, looking confused by Karkaroff. Apparently nobody had told him that the Headmaster was a former Death Eater. The disruption was ended by Mad Eye who muttered a few veiled threats and sent Karkaroff on his way.

"Leave it to Potter to cause a scene." Vaughn commented.

"At least he's too young to be chosen as Hogwarts's Champion." Giuliana replied, shaking her head. "Bloody Hell, could you imagine if we had to root for _him_ to win?"

* * *

**_I always liked Krum. I feel like he's what a lot of people think Draco could be (but he isn't at all.) And another thing about Hogwarts education, no language classes! Seriously? I feel like if they taught Latin a lot of these spells would suddenly become easier for students._**

_**Not a lot is written about vampires in the Harry Potter world. We know they exist and are common in Eastern Europe but we receive no other info about how they operate or what types they are. I've decided to go with the Bram Stoker lore, minus the heavy emphasis on Christianity. JK Rowling said she didn't add much about Vampires as she felt there wasn't anything else she could add to the "rich ****tradition****" about Vampires. She was also focused on British Wizarding lore and Vampires are ****predominantly**** Eastern European.**_


	16. When Goblets and Mirrors Speak

**Chapter XVI: When Goblets and Mirrors Speak**

The drawing of the Triwizard Champions would be done Halloween Night. Usually, students at Hogwarts would spend Halloween Day slacking in their classes and playing pranks in preparation for the feast. But that day, students gathered in the Entrance Hallway and watched students of age – and a few underage attempt to – add their name to the Goblet of Fire.

All the popular students from each House put their names in. Angelina Johnson from Gryffindor, Sawyer Fawcett from Ravenclaw, Cassius Warrington from Slytherin, and, of course, Cedric Diggory from Hufflepuff. Cedric was universally popular across the school. He was Hufflepuff's darling, Ravenclaw was kind to him, and even Slytherin found little fault with Cedric. Only some in Gryffindor mocked as a way to support their candidates.

"Should we go talk to Nelo before the feast?" Vaughn asked.

"Let's save it for tomorrow." Giuliana said. "Besides, do you know how to get onto the magical boat?"

So instead, the two of them spent the rest of the day roaming the Hogwarts Castle, talking with the portraits and exploring rooms they had never seen before. Even in their Fourth Year, there was so much of Hogwarts that remained a mystery. Some rooms were interesting, such as a room on the Second Floor that had chocolate frogs hopping everywhere. Others were shocking, such as the Sixth Floor room filled with tapestries that yelled obscenities at them.

Night fell before long and it was time for the Second Feast and the Drawing of the Champions. The usual Halloween decorations were not there, replaced by the banners with the coat of arms of the Three Schools. Once more, Durmstrang sat at the Slytherin Table. While all the food was as splendid as the previous night, no one was particularly hungry. Everyone – even the Professors – seemed anxious to get to the Champion Drawings.

But next to Giuliana, Nelo was devouring his fish pie, seemingly without a care in the world.

"Aren't you nervous?" Giuliana asked him.

"No, dear cousin, I am not. Everyone from Durmstrang knows it will be Krum. We're just here to support him."

"How can you be sure? Did Karkaroff do something?"

Nelo scoffed at that, scooping up the pie's creamy mashed potatoes with some black bread. "Karkaroff isn't a powerful enough wizard to enchant a clock, much less influence something imbued with as much Old Magic as the Goblet of Fire. But if he could, he would. He such a lackey of Krum it's disgusting. Krum dislikes him though. He's just too nice to say anything."

Giuliana looked up at the Head Table and considered that. As Headmaster, Giuliana would have assumed Karkaroff was powerful. While she didn't care for Dumbledore, only an absolute moron would think he wasn't powerful. And Karkaroff was a Death Eater!

But in that moment, Giuliana remembered her parents' words.

_'Most of the Death Eaters were as talented as a troll doing Ballet. Their only strength was in fear. Fear of what they could potentially do to another and that they had no limits on the cruelty they could inflict. But in a one on one duel, one could easily dispatch with a Death Eaters. They were nothing more than brutes.'_

"Is Krum popular?" Giuliana asked.

Nelo shrugged. "He's popular in a sense. Everyone wants to be near him. Krum doesn't have many friends though. Is it like that for Harry Potter?"

"What?" Giuliana asked, slightly taken aback by the question.

"Harry Potter. The Boy Who Lived? I saw him last night as we left. Scared the lights out of Karkaroff, that gave us all a good laugh back on the ship. Do people like him?"

"Um…" Giuliana began, trying to think of an answer. "Some do. He's a bit much though. Always seems to be the center of attention each year."

Wiping his mouth with a napkin, Nelo considered that. "When I saw him, I was a bit underwhelmed. I expected… I don't know… more gravitas from someone who survived the Killing Curse and beat a Dark Lord."

Giuliana laughed at that. "An event that he has no memory of according to gossip."

Nelo shrugged again, scoping another helping of fish pie as it floated down the table. "Doesn't matter. He is distinguished for life and seems to be of good breeding too. By the way, what is this proposal you mentioned last night?"

"We can discuss it later, with Vaughn too. It's… a bit private."

"How intriguing. But I was right last night, I will be needing something to do. Karkaroff barely brought any school work for us."

Several minutes later, the food vanished from the tables and excited muttering erupted across the Hall. The drawings were upon them as Dumbledore rose from his seat and brought the Great Hall to attention.

"Well, the Goblet is almost ready to make its decision. I estimate that it requires one more minute. Now, when the champions' names are called I would ask them please to come up to the top of the Hall, walk along the staff table, and go through into the next chamber where they will be receiving their first instructions."

The whole Hall was silent in anticipation as Dumbledore took out his wand and snuffed out the candle lights. The only source of light was from the Goblet of Fire, its bright blue and white flames strong enough to illuminate the whole Hall. Shadows danced on the walls behind everyone as they waited for the first name to be drawn.

Finally, the flames condensed and changed to an off-color red, before erupting with sparks, sputtering out a charred piece of parchment. It fluttered down into Dumbledore's aged hand, who adjusted his glasses and read off its' contents.

"The champion for Durmstrang will be Viktor Krum."

A cheer erupted from the whole Hall, though Durmstrang's students were the quietest. None seemed bitter, simply resigned to it just like Nelo was. None were as excited as Karkaroff though, who was making a bit of a fool of himself as he shouted congratulations to Krum. To his credit, Krum accepted his choosing with humility and shook Dumbledore's hand politely as he exited the Hall.

The cheering died down as Krum left and anticipation returned. They didn't have to wait long as the flames turned red and produced another piece of charred parchment. Dumbledore repeated the process and read off the name of Beauxbatons champion: Fleur Delacour.

Polite applause followed, though it increased when many of the boys – and a few girls – caught a glimpse of Ms. Delacour. Fleur Delacour was beautiful as she moved gracefully towards Dumbledore, her silvery blonde hair swaying rhythmically in line with her movements. Her beauty and confidence were apparent to all and, to the annoyance of some of the Hogwarts girls, many of the boys were plotting how to get to know Ms. Delacour better.

Once Delacour had vanished into the side chamber, the silence fell again. Hogwarts was next and the anticipation was high. Luckily, they did not have to wait long as the Goblet produced the final name.

"The Hogwarts champion," Dumbledore announced, "is Cedric Diggory!"

The uproar from Hufflepuff was deafening. Everyone single one of them, from Seventh to First Year, were on their feet cheering and celebrating. The other Houses were respectful though silently disappointed their own House wouldn't have a Champion. Still, even in their disappointment, most thought that Cedric wouldn't be too hard to root for. Once Cedric had exited out the way Krum and Delacour had gone, Dumbledore spoke once more.

"Excellent! Well, we now have our three champions. I am sure I can count upon all of you, including the remaining student from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, to give your champions every ounce of support you can muster. By cheering your champion on, you will contribute in a very real-"

Dumbledore trailed off, a look of shock on his face as those in the Hall followed his eyes.

The Goblet of Fire wasn't done yet.

Flames red once more, the Goblet spouted out one more piece of parchment. Dumbledore, dazed, grabbed the piece of parchment and looked at the writing on it. He was still for a while, the look of disbelief still plastered on his face. The whole Hall was silent as Dumbledore called out one more name.

"Harry Potter."

It was said weakly, so only those closest to the front could hear the Headmaster. Murmuring, most of it angry, picked up as students in the front passed along the name. Every head turned to the Gryffindor table and stopped when Potter was spotted.

"Harry Potter!" Dumbledore called again, his voice more urgent as Professor McGonagall, who had dashed from the Head Table to Dumbledore's side, whispered in his ear, "Harry! Up here, if you please!"

After a moment, Harry rose from his seat at Gryffindor table and made his way to Dumbledore. He did not seem eager to reach him. He walked up as though he were a man going to his death. Once he reached the Headmaster, Dumbledore dutifully directed him to the side chamber with the rest of the Chosen Champions, the entire Hall still silent. He wasn't smiling. The Head Table was still as well. The only one up there who looked happy was the portly Ludo Bagman. The Heads of the other Schools looked absolutely murderous. The glare Madam Maxine was giving Harry could give the Killing Curse a run for its money, while Karkaroff seemed ready to jump over the Head Table and strangle Potter.

Finally, Harry made it to the door to the side chamber. He gave the Great Hall one last glance, shock still written all over his face, and then vanished out of sight.

"Un-bloody-believable" Giuliana hissed.

* * *

Since his arrival at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Harry Potter had been a common topic of conversation and gossip. And during the three years he had been a student at Hogwarts, his reputation had fluctuated up and down depending on the events that unfolded around him.

Today, the tides at Hogwarts were decidedly against Harry Potter.

Gryffindor, true to form, rallied around their own. Word had gotten around thanks to a bunch of chatty paintings of the raucous party hosted in the Gryffindor Common Room after the Champion Drawings, leaving many in the other Houses annoyed at Gryffindor's lack of tac. There were a few in Gryffindor with misgivings, but overall the House didn't seem to care whether Potter's claims of being an unwilling Champion were true or not. A Gryffindor was a Gryffindor and House loyalty was paramount. They'd support their own, no questions asked.

The rest of the school was not of the same mindset. Hufflepuff - usually the House that kept the peace between the House tensions - was the instigator of much of the negativity. It wasn't just Harry but all of Gryffindor they seemed to dislike now. Cedric was popular in school but he was a King to Hufflepuff. It was a house full of many bright and powerful witches and wizards, but they had considerably fewer famous ones compared to the other three Houses, in school or out of it. Cedric was their great exception and to see his achievements diminished hurt them all.

Most of Hufflepuff were pointedly ignoring Harry and other Gryffindors. Not all were passive aggressive though. There had been a fight between some Sixth Year Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors when the latter group loudly claimed that it was good a Gryffindor was in the Tournament since Hufflepuff couldn't be trusted to handle something so important as the school's honor. The Hufflepuffs got the better of the ensuing fight. Four Gryffindors were sent to Madam Pomfrey to be treated for Hexes inflicted on them, two for the Bat-Bogey Hex, a third for a very powerful Knee-Reversal Hex, and the fourth simply because he had been knocked out cold when a Hufflepuff's fist connected with his face. Meanwhile, the five Hufflepuffs got two week's detention and a deduction of thirty House Points each, a worthy trade many Hufflepuff's felt.

"Cedric is being a complete gentleman about the whole thing but you can tell he's put out." Teddy reported to the Slytherin pair. "He doesn't want anything bad to happen to Harry though. Last night he stopped some Fifth Years from plotting to give Harry some nasty joke items and caught some fellow Seventh Years before they had a chance to jinx some Gryffindors."

Ravenclaw in general didn't seem angry, but still rather annoyed with Harry. They liked to discuss theories about how Harry managed to get pasted the age line. Most of them were very complicated, but the simplest one was one that got the most traction.

"It's it obvious?" Lisa mentioned to Giuliana during Frog Choir practice, "Dumbledore rigged it so Harry could get through. Him and Gryffindor have always been the Headmaster's pets. I never used to listen to such rubbish against Harry because everyone will _always_ try to tear down people more talented and popular then themselves, but _honestly_. Harry can be such a hog of the limelight. Let Cedric have his moment in it. He's certainly handsome enough for it."

Slytherin of course hated the whole thing. Their hatred DIDNT rival Hufflepuff though, but it was close a few times. Draco was the ringleader, and often spouted, as he always did, low brow insult and monologues. Most of the younger students - especially first years - went along with it. Draco's influence had been rising with the younger Slytherins as he grew in Years, something Vaughn and Giuliana watched with concern. Much of the old guard in Slytherin House had graduated, moving Draco and his cronies into the "elders" position for the younger students. It wasn't long until a lot of the younger Slytherins, many of them feeling marginalized by the school and Gryffindor, began spouting Draco-esque rhetoric.

Meanwhile, the "fostering of relationships" between schools was not materializing. Most Beauxbaton students remained in their carriage in protest, refusing to interact with any students at Hogwarts. They had not left the comfort of their beautiful chateau school in the French Pyrenees to come to a drafty and ancient medieval castle for a year only to be poked in the eye by Hogwarts' two champions. Many were unclear as to _why_ Harry Potter couldn't be removed from the magical contract. It was a contract, magical or not, and every contract – as any half good lawyer could show – had loopholes to be exploited. Even if it could not, what would stop them from doing a simple hand drawing without magic to pick another champion from Durmstrang and Beauxbaton? Whatever the reasons, it would be some time before Beauxbaton's students were ready to move past the insult.

The Durmstrang students were also remaining aboard their ship, though this was due to Karkaroff, who had quarantined his students aboard their ship in protest. Only Krum was allowed off to do his exercises around the Great Lake, much to the delight of the girls at Hogwarts who watched and followed him about. After about a week though, Karkaroff relented and allowed his students to disembark and socialize with the Hogwarts populace.

"Nelo wants to meet with us before Potions today." Giuliana mentioned to Vaughn as they ate breakfast. Both were fairly tired after spending the past few nights up brewing M.A.P. and Calming Draughts. Their efforts had been successful and they had several batches ready to go, kept fresh thanks to a preservation charm Vaughn had discovered in the Rzhevsky Family Library. Teddy said his contacts were ready to start selling. All they had to do was secure Durmstrang and Vaughn would give him the go ahead.

Finishing up their breakfast, both Slytherin's made their way out onto the Hogwarts grounds. Neither were quite sure where they were meeting Nelo though.

"Think he'll let us onto the Durmstrang boat?" Vaughn asked. They had stopped at the edge of the Great Lake, the Durmstrang ship anchored just off shore. Despite the sunny day, fog was still gathered around the ship.

"I doubt Karkaroff would allow that." Giuliana replied, though hoping Nelo could sneak them on. They waited for a few minutes before they spotted the fog break apart as a rowboat emerged, Nelo on it. At first, he looked alone until they noticed a skeletal figure standing at the back of the boat, guiding the boat to shore with a large oar.

As they got closer, both Slytherins realized that it _was_ a skeleton at the back of the boat. Its bones were a shiny white and the rowboat hit the shoreline, both were able to make out glyphs that shimmered just above the bones. Noticing their mildly horrified looks, Nelo quickly explained.

"Necromancy! Pretty neat, huh?"

'Neat' was one way to describe it. Giuliana looked at the skeleton somewhat perturbed, though Vaughn's horror was giving way to interest. He had heard stories of the study of Necromancy at Durmstrang and secretly longed to learn more. Hopefully, Nelo could teach him a bit.

"Who is that?" Giuliana asked, referring to the skeleton.

"Don't know." Nelo shrugged, used to Necromancy. "But skeletons are kind of the servant caste at Durmstrang. They do the cleaning, cooking, menial stuff like that. People like to say they're the bones of students who failed their final year exams. But I'm sure that isn't true." He turned to the skeleton and spoke to it as though it were actually alive. "Return in… um… how long do you think we'll be? Actually, what time is lunch served?"

"11:30." Giuliana replied, trying to see if she could make out any of the glyphs. They bore no resemblance to any of the runes she studied. Instead of being carved, glyphs were drawn with magic and left no lasting marks on the target, and unlike the rigid design of runes, glyphs were circular and fluid in their shape and look. That was about the extent of her knowledge. Glyphs were far more popular in Middle Eastern and central American magics then European and were mostly used for Summoning Magics, a subject not taught at Hogwarts since they learned Transfiguration.

"Brilliant! I'll grab some lunch after our 'meeting.' Quint, pick me up in an hour?" The skeleton, evidently named 'Quint', nodded and lifted the oar out of the water, using it to push off the shore. "So, where can we talk privately?" Nelo asked already moving away as Vaughn and Giuliana continued to watch the skeleton guide the rowboat back to the ship.

"Um… there's an area next to the Forbidden Forest we can go to." Giuliana replied and began to lead their group there. As they walked, Vaughn was asking Nelo plenty of questions about Necromancy. Giuliana privately hoped that Vaughn wasn't getting ideas about teaching Necromancy to people at school. The skeleton had disturbed her deeply.

Once they arrived at a secluded spot, Vaughn and Giuliana immediately went into their spiel. It was much more refined then what they had presented to Teddy and they were even able to provide Nelo with some numbers regarding sales and what they could expect in profit. Nelo listened to them passively, taking it all in. When they finished, he raised his eyebrows and gave Giuliana a look.

"I'm impressed, cousin. I didn't think you had…. this in you." He grinned.

"Well… thank you?" Giuliana replied. Her and Vaughn looked at one another hopeful.

"So… selling potions for you two? At Durmstrang?" Nelo questioned. Both nodded as Nelo considered it further. "It's not… impossible. Durmstrang already has various secret societies, like any respectable school does. What's one more?"

"So, you have people you can trust then?" Vaughn confirmed.

"Yes. Yes, I knew a few boys who would be interested in this. But do you two only make two potions?"

"So far. I have ideas for other types of potions."

"Good. A variety would be nice. I could send the recipes to some people at Durmstrang to replicate."

"No. We will brew them ourselves." Vaughn asserted. Nelo looked puzzled at this.

"It would be easier to produce at Durmstrang, wouldn't it? Think of the owls."

"I am sure we can handle it ourselves. For now, we would prefer to keep the potion to ourselves." Giuliana said, backing up Vaughn. They had expected this and were resolute in that they would control the production of the potion. Nelo, seeing this unity, merely nodded.

"Ok. We can work with that. Let me owl with some friends and get back to you. But I think we can pull it off."

With things settled, the three students made their way back to the main Castle, muttering final details to one another as they did. Giuliana felt elated, happy that her cousin had come through for them. But as they walked, Giuliana was distracted by a sudden buzzing from her school bag. Confused, Giuliana peaked inside and gasped at the sight.

"Giuliana?" Vaughn asked, both him and Nelo stopping. Giuliana's eyes were gazing down into her bag, which she quickly shut when the boys looked back at her.

"Um… give me a minute. I need to check something."

"I can wait." Vaughn offered.

"I'm pretty hungry…" Nelo teased lightly.

"No, no, no it's fine! I'll meet up with you in Potions." Giuliana replied, moving off towards the shoreline.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes! I'll see you there!"

Leaving both boys bewildered, Giuliana moved towards the Great Lake, ducking behind some black boulders along the shoreline. Once she was out of view of the others, Giuliana opened up her bag to pull out the source of the vibration.

The mirror from the Cumano Library was coming alive.

Pulling it out of her bag, Giuliana observing the mirror closely. Much like how it was in the Villa's library, the mirror was vibrating softly, the amethyst inlay glowing softly. But once she lined her face up with the mirrored surface, the light and vibration ceased. She could see herself clearly in the mirror until a ripple effect took hold.

_'All just like last time.'_ She thought, excitement boiling up inside of her. After ten months of carrying it around, she thought the mirror was broken! A one hit marvel. Now though… maybe she was a seer like her _bisnonno_ thought! The ripple came to an end and, like last time, images began to play out in front of her. The difference this time though was that an entire scene was playing out in the mirror.

First, a brown – no… bronze – eagle was flying through the air, majestic and powerful. Its flight through the clear blue sky was interrupted by an arrow that punctured the eagle's chest. The eagle fell from the sky, losing five feathers on the way down. It hit the ground hard, twitched, and seemed to die.

But behind it, a figure appeared. The figure was a woman, dressed in a plain robe and holding a bow with something strapped to her back. But her face was hidden, covered by a lion's mask. The woman stopped in front of the eagle, shaking her head in pity before pulling a heavy looking object off her back.

An axe. For the eagle was still alive, though struggling.

The figure readied herself to strike the desperate bird when a hand reached out from the side of the mirror and shouted "No!" and grabbed wrist of the lion masked woman before the axe could come down.

The ripples reappeared and the scene was gone. Giuliana's puzzled reflection looked back at her.

Realizing how important detail was, Giuliana quickly pulled out her quill, ink, and spare parchment to write down every detail she just saw, no matter how minute it might be. With a quick drying charm on the rock, Giuliana set to work, excitement roiling inside of her as she began to decipher the meaning of the scene.

* * *

_**Quint is a reference to the 'ghost' who may or may not have been real in Henry James horror novella, **_**The Turn of the Screw**_**.**_

_**For House Points, 50 seems to be the common max that can either be awarded or deducted per student. The only times this max is broken is by Dumbledore himself when he gives Gryffindor enough points at the end of Books 1 and 2 to win the House Cup. The only other time a non-Head Master does this is when Professor McGonnell deducts 100 points from Leta Lestrange for a hex and running away. This being shown in **_**The Crimes of Grindelwald**_**, based in 1910, I consider the norm to be changed over time. As for the film itself… let's just see how the next three turn out. Maybe Crimes will just be the **_**Attack of the Clones**_** for the Fantastic Beasts Series… maybe…**_

_**It would have been nice to get some context on the "magical contract" in place that prevents Harry from being removed. Beside "plot", I don't see what's to stop Maxine and Karkaroff from demanding a hand drawing of two more students' names. Once it spits out the names, the Goblet is shuffled off and not seen again, with no other importance to the Tournament. Getting two more dragons would be difficult, but there doesn't appear to be any added complications to having two more champions for the Second or Third Tasks. It would probably just make things more thrilling. Nobody probably thought about that since magic isn't involved.**_

**_Regardless, the whole set up of the Triwizard Tournament if fairly silly. What exactly are the elven other students from each School who weren't selected doing? _** _**They're not part of Hogwarts classes as exchange students and – as pointed out before – it's not like they can attach themselves to clubs at school. How the Triwizard Tournament creates camaraderie among the schools is beyond me. There does seem to be a fair amount of hooking up though, as implied in the Yule Ball chapter as Snape kicks older students out of the bushes.**_


	17. Making Friends In the Pride

**Chapter XVII: Making Friends In the Pride**

When Giuliana finally appeared, Vaughn thought she looked out of sorts. She came down the stairs into the Hogwarts dungeons looking wild, eyes ablaze with thoughts Vaughn couldn't guess at. Double Potions with Gryffindor was set to begin in just a few minutes, yet she didn't seem concerned about that.

"Are you alright?" Vaughn asked.

"Never better!" Giuliana declared, giving an excited laugh. She sounded happy, though in a demented way. Vaughn wasn't sure what to make of it and eyed her curiously, trying to figure it out.

"You just seem like you've had a shock, that's all." He continued.

"I just need a moment to think, alright?" she snapped, holding up a finger for peace. Vaughn was silenced, shocked by her behavior. Another shock followed though as Draco Malfoy approached them, holding a box of what appeared to be large buttons at first.

"You pair are Slytherins, so you need Badges. House solidarity and all that, even if you lot prefer Hufflepuff Mudbloods and Half-Breeds." Draco said, waving the box in front of them. Clanking inside of the box were badges that read _Support CEDRIC DIGGORY, the REAL Hogwarts Champion_ in bright red. Draco pressed down on one of the badges, causing the text to spin and change to another message, this one colored a revolting green that glowed:

_POTTER STINKS_

"Brilliant, aren't they?" Draco laughed, clearly impressed with himself and his genius. "I'm trying to get them to catch on quick so that-"

"Not now, Draco." Giuliana told him, voice testy. Draco didn't appreciate that tone at all.

"Well just for that tone, you two will be first who have to pay for them. Three sickles each, if you please!" Draco demanded, holding out his hand. Behind him, Crabbe and Goyle, wearing their own badges, laughed. The rest of the Slytherins all had badges on their robes.

Giuliana was having none of it.

"Merlin's Beard, Malfoy! We don't want your Badges!"

With a hard swipe, Giuliana knocked the box out of Draco's hands. The box landed roughly on the ground, scattering the Badges all over the dungeons dirty black stone floor. The clattering of the badges against the floor echoed down the hallway, causing both Gryffindor and Slytherin students to look at her with shock. Giuliana couldn't be bothered though, instead getting directly in Draco's face. She wasn't finished with him yet.

"Why must you always be like this?" She demanded. "I'm sure Daddy is a real proud of you for having the brains to make something like this! Must have taken you hours to pull off! But some of us have better things to do then feed your obsession with Potter, you pompous twat! You aren't special!"

Draco was left red face and stammering for an answer as Giuliana turned her heels on him. His cronies were all open mouthed, unsure what to do. The Gryffindor's were looking at Giuliana, mildly impressed. If anyone looked, they would have seen Neville Longbottom smiling.

"Giuliana!" Vaughn breathed, taken aback. She didn't reply immediately, only grabbed him by the arm and pulled him away from the clump of students. "What was that?!"

"Do you not approve of what I said?" She demanded.

"No, I thought it was brilliant."

"Good, then stop and listen!"

She had pulled him into a corner next to the stairs. Sighing deeply and gathering her thoughts, Giuliana began to explain, voice lowered so only Vaughn could hear. Out of ear shot, Draco, still red face, began gathering up the badges.

"Last Christmas, when I was at my family's villa, I spent a lot of time in the library looking for books to help P.A.C." Giuliana began. Vaughn nodded, already knowing this. "So, while I was in the library I would also spend time in the Divination section, and one day while I was there – HEY! Don't you dare give me that look, Vaughn!"

He hadn't even realized his face had morphed in an incredulous look, the one he always gave

when Giuliana mentioned Divination and its virtues. "Sorry, I'm sorry, what did you find?"

"A magic mirror. My _bisnonno_ said-"

"Your what?"

"Great, Great, Great, Grandfather! Ok, he said this mirror had certain properties that let special people see the future. And I have! I've seen the future! Twice! Just now and when I first found it in the library!"

Vaughn was so taken aback he didn't notice Harry Potter and Hermione Granger descending the stairs only to be confronted by the other Slytherins and their _Potter Stinks_ badges. He was far too focused on the insane notion that Giuliana thought she could see the future.

"Er… ok… what…. Um, what did you see?" Vaughn tried.

"I…. I don't actually know. It was rather vague and cryptic. It was a message I need to work out."

This time, Vaughn was fully aware of his eyes rolling as he adjusted the strap on his book bag angrily. "What a shock. Divination isn't clear." He growled.

"Oh, come off it! I just told you I received visions of the future and you're still bitter!"

"How do you know if this mirror is even real? It could just be a joke item that found its way into your family's collection!"

"My _bisnonno_ is colorful but not a liar. He knows everything about that library-"

There was a sudden scramble behind them and some shocked muttering, causing Giuliana and Vaughn to look. Potter and Malfoy had their wands pointed at one another, both looking furious. Before they could get any context, hexes were being casted.

"_Furnunculus_!"

"_Densaugeo_!"

The dungeon hallway was flooded with light from two separate spells. Neither were well aimed and most of the students hit the ground to avoid them. The spells hit one another with a loud crack and began to bounce off the narrow dungeon walls. They must have hit someone as two shouts erupted. Looking up, Vaughn saw that neither Harry nor Draco were hit. Their companions next to them however…

"Oh, nasty." Vaughn muttered. Goyle, already stuck with the looks of a troll to begin with, was now covered in nasty boils that looked ready to pop at any second. He screamed as he felt the boils on his face, a few of them steaming from the impact.

Meanwhile, Hermione Granger was shaking and near tears. She was holding both hands up over her mouth, desperately trying to cover the effects of the _Densaugeo_ hex, which was causing her front teeth, already large, to grow down her face at a fast rate. She looked a bit like a beaver.

"And what is all this noise about?"

Behind the students, Snape had emerged from the classroom, the faint smell of sulfur and other potions mixtures emanating from the room. Before anyone could speak, Draco was doing what he did best.

"Potter attacked me, sir!" he screamed, pointing an accusing finger at Harry.

"We attacked each other at the same time!" Harry protested. Everyone knew that whatever Potter said to Snape would be useless though.

Snape took in their words, looking over to Goyle when Draco pointed him out. Snape directed Goyle to the hospital wing, but when Ron mentioned the damage done to Hermione, such care was not shown to her.

Snape looked over Hermione, her front teeth down to her chest. Without a hint of emotion or care for the fourteen-year-old student, Professor Snape made his icy reply.

"I see no difference."

Hermione whimpered and ran from the dungeons, tears in her eyes. Draco and his cronies began to cackle but were drowned out as Harry and Ron began to protest loudly. The protests quickly trailed off into cursing Professor Snape, who, with a smug smile, proceeded to deduct fifty points from Gryffindor. He directed everyone into the room, threatening detentions to Gryffindors if they dallied.

Once everyone was seated, Snape began to lesson as though the events which just transpired hadn't occurred. While Vaughn was shocked by what had just happened, Giuliana couldn't seem to care. She was distracted by a piece of parchment with words hastily scribbled onto it. Vaughn could only make out a few words: Lion… feathers… and axe? If Giuliana wasn't his best friend, he would have assumed she had gone insane. She was so focused on the parchment that she wasn't focused much on her potion's assignment for the day. The distraction caught Snape's eye.

"Is learning how to brew an effective antidote for wyvern venom not important to you, Ms.

Cumano?" Snape asked.

Giuliana, bolder than most at the moment, was having none of it. She pointed to her small cauldron, voice daring Snape to challenge her. "The antidote is brewing, as you can see, Professor. I'm waiting for the bezoar shell to dissolve before adding the diced ginger and petals."

If a Gryffindor had used such a short tone with him, Snape would have given them detention for the rest of the term. Instead, he merely looked into the cauldron, gave a satisfied snort, and moved onto Neville Longbottom, who was shaking under Snape's withering and critical gaze.

Potions proceeded normally until Potter was dismissed to attend to some Triwizard Business with _The Daily Prophet_. Such treatment of Potter would normally elicit a response from Giuliana, but she was still too focused on her notes. Later, Giuliana let out a shocked gasp before a smile came to her face.

"Giuliana-" Vaughn began, only to be shushed by her.

Double Potions ended and Giuliana shoved her equipment and notes back into her bag and made a beeline for the door, nearly mowing down Pansy in the process. Vaughn struggled to keep up.

"Wait!" he called after her as she made her way up the dungeon stairs. "We need to check the student pantry!"

"Not now! I need to get to the infirmary!" she called back, hooping up the stairs three steps at a time.

"What?! Wait!" Vaughn breathed, struggling to keep up. Giuliana was practically sprinting, turning corners quickly as she led them to the staircases. She was moving so fast that she and Vaughn plowed through a ghost while making a sharp turn. The ghost, a Crusader judging by his attire, huffed indigently and shouted threats to them, but neither slowed to apologize. They only came to a stop when Giuliana was forced to wait for the moving staircase. Vaughn leaned against the wall, panting heavily and a bit sweaty. Physical exertion was not something he did much.

"What… what is going on?" Vaughn demanded, trying to get control of his breathing.

"I want to check on Granger." Giuliana replied, excitement laced into her voice. She was almost bouncing.

"You what?!" Vaughn cried, unable to believe what he was hearing.

"Oh, a splendid idea!" A voice called out. Both of them looked to a painting on the wall, its inhabitant talking to them. The voice belonged to a stout man who was sitting alone at a table full of meat and tankards of ale, not a vegetable in sight. He looked very merry and red faced from drink. "She was bawling her eyes out when she ran past, looking like a walrus!"

Giuliana ignored the painting and adjusted her glasses, which had almost fallen off as she ran. "I think it's part of what the mirror was trying to tell me." She whispered to Vaughn, not wanting the painting to overhear. The portraits at Hogwarts were notorious gossip fiends, not a single one could be trusted with a secret.

"Why in the bloody hell would you think that?" Vaughn demanded, temper flaring.

A heavy thud rocked the portion of the stairs they were on as another segment of the grand staircase connected with theirs. Giuliana began to make her way up, though at a slower pace so she could run through the vision she had received for Vaughn. He was at a loss for words as they arrived at the Hospital Wing on the Second Floor.

"And you think you're this person shouting 'no' and Hermione Granger is the lion masked woman? Why?!" Vaughn demanded.

"I don't know! But it wouldn't hurt to be nice to Gryffindor girls!"

"That… this… this is insane!"

Giuliana didn't respond, instead announcing to Madam Pomfrey at the front desk that they were there to see Hermione Granger. Madam Pomfrey, due to the nature of her job, was far more in tune with student behavior and politics than her fellow Hogwarts faculty. Because of that, she eyed both of the Slytherin's suspiciously.

"Are you sure you're not here to see Mr. Goyle?" she asked, though she knew for a fact they weren't. Pomfrey knew that Goyle's only friend was the equally unpleasant Crabbe, both of whom were muscle for Draco. They were thoroughly disliked by everyone else in their Year and below. She had treated enough students injured by the pair to know that.

"Absolutely not." Giuliana replied firmly. "We're here to see Hermione Granger. Ma'am."

Seeing no reason why they shouldn't be allowed to visit Ms. Granger – though curious as to why Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley weren't coming to visit their friend – Madam Pomfrey got up from her seat and told them to wait while she checked with Mr. Granger. After a minute she returned, beckoning them to follow her back into the infirmary.

"I am keeping her for another hour to insure there's no relapse of the hex. It doesn't happen often, but we wouldn't want those teeth sprouting again. I hope the boy who did this to her got his just desserts."

"Of course he didn't." Vaughn muttered. Madam Pomfrey merely nodded. With what Goyle told her, she deduced that Draco Malfoy was the cause of it. No doubt Snape protected his own, as he tended to. But why were these Slytherin's showing such care for a Gryffindor?

Hermione Granger was laying on a bed near the back of the hospital wing, gazing out a magnificent window that looked over the Hogwarts Grounds. Goyle was placed in the bed farthest from Granger, a privacy screen around his bed. Neither of them gave him a glance.

"Ms. Granger, your visitors." Madam Pomfrey announced, "I'll give you five minutes and then she needs to rest."

That was a lie, but Madam Pomfrey guessed it would be helpful for Granger, who was looking at both of the Slytherin's rather bewildered. Obviously, she had no idea why they were here either. As Madam Pomfrey left the odd group of three, Giuliana stepped forward.

"Are your teeth alright?" she asked.

"Why are you here?" Granger countered, looking at them just as suspiciously as Madam Pomfrey had. Vaughn, unsure of what to do or say, allowed Giuliana to take the lead.

"I wanted to check on you. Vaughn decided to come along." Giuliana replied, taking a seat next to the bed. "What happened?"

"Everyone saw what happened. You could just ask Malfoy." Granger replied.

"We don't talk with him. Right, Vaughn?" Giuliana asked. Vaughn merely nodded, awkwardly sitting down on the empty bed next to Hermione. "I called him a pompous twat before you and Potter got to the dungeons."

Granger stifled a laugh. "Why?"

"His badges. He was so proud of them and I thought he was pathetic. So, I called him a twat." Granger let loose a soft laugh that time, showing off her teeth. Giuliana eyed her front teeth curiously. "Wow, your teeth look great!"

"Thank you."

"Did… did Madam Pomfrey make your front teeth… smaller?"

Saying that got Vaughn to realize that Hermione Granger's front teeth, normally quite large, were looking normal now. Hermione's face went red at the comment.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She lied. She wasn't very good at it.

"I think it looks nice! But I would have figured you could have done that yourself if you wanted to. Being as smart as you are and everything."

Hermione accepted the compliment but was absolutely confused. Vaughn was as well. Who was this Giuliana before him? She had never great at socializing, much like himself, yet here Giuliana was, trying to make friends with a Lion.

"Why are you here? Really?" Granger asked again. Vaughn stiffened, wondering what Giuliana would offer.

"I honestly wanted to see how you were doing. Malfoy and his cronies are bad. Truly horrible. Vaughn and I have hated them since day one here. And I didn't like the idea of my Ancient Runes desk mate suffering."

"Really?" Granger asked. Vaughn was thinking the same thing. It wasn't a terrible lie. Maybe it wasn't even a lie? Giuliana had often spoke highly of Hermione in Ancient Runes. Just as often as she mentioned how much of a know it all Granger could be.

"Really." Giuliana affirmed, before turning her head to Vaughn. "And Vaughn came to check on his Arithmancy classmate, right?"

She had overplayed her hand and now forced Vaughn to fake it. He offered a smile and nod, which Granger didn't seem to buy. "Right. Ok. Well thank you both, I am fine as you can see. I'm upset that I missed Potions though. Antidotes are critical knowledge for the O.W.L.s."

"I can give you-" Giuliana began to offer, then realized she was too distracted by the mirror's prophecy that she hadn't bothered to take any class notes. Vaughn was there to save her though.

"I can give you my notes from class." Vaughn finished, pulling the notes from his bag. They were rather ruffled thanks to the haste Vaughn had been in trying to catch up to Giuliana. After a moment, Granger replied.

"Thank you, but I can just get them from either Ron or Harry." She claimed at first, then seemed to think about. She eyed Vaughn's notes, noticing that they looked exceptionally detailed. Far more then whatever Harry or Ron would produce. "Actually, sure. I will look at them. Thank you."

Vaughn handed them over, not overly worried about getting them back. He found the lesson that day incredibly straightforward. Without much anything else to say, both Slytherins left, passing by Goyle who was peeking out from behind the privacy curtain. Neither could make out his full face, but they could see some scars from the boils still present. Once they were out of the Hospital Wing, Giuliana breathed a sigh of relief.

"Well, I think that went well, don't you?"

Vaughn, still flabbergasted by the whole experience, just shook his head. His annoyance from the past twenty minutes was bubbling over. "That was bloody insane, that's what it was. Wait until it gets out that we're friends with Hermione Granger!"

Giuliana shrugged. "I have a good feeling about this."

"Because a bloody mirror told you so?!" Vaughn demanded, trying to keep his tone under control. "No, wait, you _think_ because a mirror told you so! How could you not tell me about this? You've had this mirror since Christmas Break and you never mentioned it!"

"I knew you would react like this." Giuliana replied calmly. Too calmly for Vaughn's liking. "And I didn't want to tell you about it if the mirror was just a one off. One vague vision of a room filled with blue candlelight and crystal balls isn't enough to go off of. You can't figure anything out by just that."

"But a crazy vision about an eagle and lion mask is?!" Vaughn continued.

"Of course! Isn't it obvious? A bronze eagle? A lion masked woman? Obviously, those are signs meant to represent someone from Ravenclaw and Gryffindor!"

That gave Vaughn pause. He had no real retort for that. Instead, he continued with his earlier complaint. "I can't believe you kept this mirror from me."

"I'm sorry. I really didn't think you would be too interested in it." She said, not sounding too repentant. "And besides, it's not like you haven't kept stuff from me."

"I- what?" Vaughn stammered.

She just gave him a questioning look. She hadn't actually expected anything to come of that comment, but Vaughn looked to be going through a series of emotions. "Is there something?" she asked.

Heart racing, Vaughn felt as though he might pass out. Should he just tell her? Now?! In this random hallway outside of the infirmary? After Giuliana told him she was a seer?!

No… _thought_ she was a seer.

"Um… well… it's not bad." He began. "But I should have mentioned this before. I'm da-"

"BRIGANDS! Cease your Speech and Turn!"

A sharp shout interrupted Vaughn and both Slytherin turned towards the voice, shocked at the sight. At the end of the hallway were four horse mounted ghosts. One of them was the Crusader both had run through and offended on their way to the Hospital Wing. The other three ghosts were dressed in a similar fashion, obviously former comrades in life. All four were mounted on ghostly horses, all four of the dead steads adorned in their full barding. The regal look was only disrupted by the horrifying realization that the spectral horses' eye sockets were empty.

"Um…" Giuliana muttered, shocked.

"You have wounded my honor as a knight!" the offended Crusader cried out, raising his sword. "A knight in service to God! Such a transgression cannot be forgiven! A transgression against one of us is a transgression against all! Aye Brothers!?"

"AYE BROTHER!" the other three Crusader echoed. One raised their spear, another their sword, and the third slamming a mace into their white shield with a cross painted on it.

"We shall take you both and teach you your place! DEUS VOLT! CHARGE!"

And so the four specters on their dead steads charged, screaming cries of battle as the two Slytherins ran in the other direction, screaming as well.

* * *

_**Barding (or barbing) refers to battle armor for horses.**_

_**Snape is a divisive character. And I know this site has A LOT of pro Snape fics. But there is one moment in the entire series that will never allow me to see Snape as a hero and that is the moment from this chapter where he - a grown man and figure of authority at Hogwarts - makes fun of Hermione - a fourteen year old girl who has just been embarrassed in front of her classmates and has Slytherin laughing at her. He isn't heroic, and I will never consider him that. He's a pathetic ex-Nazi who's pissed because a girl he liked as a teenager wouldn't sleep with him. No amount of editing by FanFiction authors or love I have of Alan Rickman will make me forget this moment. It is beyond cruel, it's an evil thing to say to a teenager whom you have ****authority**** over. **_


End file.
